


Boundless

by Callysto



Category: Carmilla (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe- No Supernatural, Angst, Bullying, Child Abuse, Eventual Smut, F/F, PTSD, Slow Burn, So much angst, Weight Issues, angstiest thing ever..., depiction of child abuse, like seriously...
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-09-16
Updated: 2015-11-14
Packaged: 2018-04-21 02:08:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 27,486
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4810814
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Callysto/pseuds/Callysto
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"_You know I do this for your own good, child,” She stammered for the countless time as she shoved the small girl in the minuscule closet, “Stop crying like that Carmilla, you know perfectly well it won’t help,” Try as she may, Carmilla was utterly unable to stop the pleas and cries that hurled out of her closing throat, “Now then, I’ll fetch you when I deem you’ve had enough time to reflect on your action”<br/>_Mama PLEASE !”<br/>She screamed. A cruel snarl curled her mother’s lip, right before the door was slammed lock on her, leaving her in complete darkness."<br/>Orphanage AU, child abuse, read at your own risk ;)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Please do not read if you are sensitive to child abuse, I am not kidding, I'm really not using kid gloves (ha.). You've been warned

« Get up, _get on up !_ »

The young brunette shook her head wildly as she popped the last p, dancing like a mad girl in her room, sheets in her hands as she changed her bed. The eleven year old had always had a soft spot for James Brown, despite her keeper, whom insisted upon her calling her Mama, highly disapproving of such a depraved kind of music.

  In retrospect that might have been why the young girl enjoyed it quite so much, amongst other kind of “sinful” music.

 This word actually happened to be one of her tutor’s favourite when it came to her, or her younger brother for that matters. Though depraved or demonical were close seconds.

 She was used to it by now though, only a small sting on her already gaping heart. She barely remembered her parents. She and her brother had been left in Silas Institute when she had been four, and her brother barely a babe. All she had left from them was a cheap old necklace that wrote “You’ll always be loved”. The young brunette had learnt to take it as a joke though, rather than cry whenever the weight of it became too much around her frail neck. She was snapped out of her musing by a sharp knock on her door, and someone barging in. The “dean” walked into her room, her eyes narrowed in thinly veiled disgust at the girl in front of her:

_Carmilla”, She snapped, the young girl immediately dropped her sheets and turned around to face the giant woman in front of her, head down, hands squeezed in front of her, fear raising her every hair, “Stop wriggling your hands, it’s not becoming of a lady,”

_Yes Ms.” Carmilla blenched at the sharp glare the Dean aimed at her, “Yes Mama”

_Good girl”

She tried her best not to react when the woman stepped closer to her, but couldn’t help the start and squeak when she felt a hand smooth her short hair:

_Ttt, girl, there is nothing to fear, so long as you follow the rules here, yes ?”

_Yes, Mama,”

She whispered, trying her best not to shake:

_Good…” The hand that had previously stroking her soft curls, just as she started relaxing into the touch, suddenly closed on it with an iron fist. She shrieked in pain and surprise, “then why did I hear that disgusting music coming from the dormitory again ?”

The cold voice remained perfectly even as the older woman dragged her across the room, toward a small door tucked into a corner:

_I’m sorry Mama, it came on the radio, I forgot !”, She pleaded, holding onto her mother’s arm not to fall, “I’m sorry Mama, I’m sorry please !”

She was met with an uninterested silence as the older woman fished the keys in her pocket, and jerked the small door open:

_You know I do this for your own good, child,” She stammered for the countless time as she shoved the small child in the minuscule closet, “Stop crying like that Carmilla, you know perfectly well it won’t help,” Try as she may, Carmilla was utterly unable to stop the pleas and cries that hurled out of her closing throat, “Now then, I’ll fetch you when I deem you’ve had enough time to reflect on your action”

_Mama _PLEASE !_ ”  

She screamed. A cruel snarl curled her mother’s lip, right before the door was slammed lock on her, leaving her in complete darkness.

 

 

Her eyes were pried open by a violent stream of light:

_Ttt, what have you done to yourself girl, how do you expect to attract a family with such hands.” Carmilla opened her eyes, her keeper the first thing she saw. She remained perfectly still, still hazy from the restless slumber she had fallen into. “I had to have you locked while the families came, all of that because you could not behave for one day,”

Family day. Carmilla slowly came out of her daze. If family day had passed, she had been in there for more than 24 hours… She heavily blinked as the dean moved away from the door, letting harsh light flood the tiny space she was in:

_Take care of that Perry would you ?”

The voice snapped abruptly as it walked away. The young girl was startled awake once more as she shrank away from a hand reaching for her shoulder:

_Ssshhh, Carm sweetie, it’s just me,”

An oh so soft voice resounded in the tiny closet:

_Perry ?”

She asked, voice raw and broken from screaming:

_Yes my darling, it’s just me,” The voice wavered with unshed tears, “Come here, chicken,”

The small girl stretched out her arms, too weak to even consider any other movement:

_Perry…”

She cried out as a warm pair of arms lifted her from her cage:

_Sssshh my love, come here,”

She wrapped her arms around Perry’s neck, burying her head in the fire-kissed locks, and cried. Soft sobs squeezing out of her meagre chest. She barely noticed she was being moved, too wrapped up in Perry’s warmth, Perry’s kindness, Perry’s soft words echoing haphazardly in her exhausted mind. She practically fell apart when the governess pulled away from her:

_No, baby I will be right back, I promise,” The young red head cooed, her hand softly soothing Carmilla’s raven curls, “Here drink this, it’ll make you feel better”

The young girl zeroed in on the glass of milk, downing it in seconds. She gently put it down, but snapped around at a small snort, and narrowed her eyes as she recognised her baby brother:

_What ?”

She snapped:

_Nothing” he casually strolled in closer, grabbing a towel lying around on his way, “You just have the biggest milkstache of all time,”

He giggled as he handed her the towel, she quickly dried it, hiding her furious blush behind the towel as she grumbled under her breath. All trace of mockery, though, suddenly vanished on her brother’s face as he stalked up to her and grabbed her hands. She jerked them back, surprised, before hiding them behind her back, glaring at her brother. He stared at her in pure horror though, and looked back down at the towel, now dotted with red stains:

_Carm, what happened to your hands ?”

She grinded her jaw and looked away:

_Nothing you need to worry about, Will,” She snapped, but looked back at her brother. Her features softened immediately at the worry clearly swarming her brother’s face, “I’ll be fine ok ? I promise,”

Perry came back before the small boy could add anything:

_William, go to your room darling, it’s almost time for lunch, I’ll come and get you when it’s ready, ok ?”

Will gazed at her hesitantly before nodding and quietly walking, but not before throwing one last look at his sister. He there and then decided he needed to do anything he could to get his sister out. He might be young. But William was far from an idiot. He noticed the way his adored sister shied away from touch, the way she tried to hide her puffy red eyes, the way she never walked quite easily, as if she was always in pain. He didn’t know why, or how, but his sister was hurt, and he needed to make it stop. So he decided to say so to Perry the next time he saw her. Barely half an hour later:

_Miss Perry,” The red head turned around as the small six year old tugged on her dress, “My sister was hurt, wasn’t she ?”

He asked, although he already knew the answer to his question. The older woman looked like she was on the verge of denying, but saw the way the boy gazed at her, there was no lying to this one. So she didn’t, and instead knelt down in front of him, holding his waist:

_Yes, sweetie, she was,”

_Why ?”

She gazed at him, racking her head for an answer. None came:

_I don’t know…”

She lowered her head, not wanted the small boy to notice the tears in her eyes threatening to spill. He didn’t though, as he wrapped his small arms around her neck:

_It’s ok Miss Perry, I know it’s not your fault,”

She barely held a sob at how broken this tiny boy already sounded:

_Thank you William, that means a lot,”

She managed to whisper, as she held him close to her, hiding her tears in his neck. He eventually pulled back, looking more serious than any six year old should ever be:

_It needs to stop though,”

_Yes darling it does,” She couldn’t help a small smile at how determined the boy seemed, “But something already tells me you have an idea for that ?”

He nodded, his hands idly playing with her hair as he looked at the ground, deep in thought. The red head calmly waited for him to organise his ideas:

_There was this very nice family I met today, they wanted to adopt, but only a little girl,” Perry nodded, scared to understand what the boy was getting at, “Maybe they could take Carmilla with them next time ?”

Perry’s eyes fell close as she tried to hold back a snarl, not at the wonder of a child in front of her, but at the woman which had forced him to be thinking about willingly getting separated from his sister, if it meant sparing her some pain:

_She would never go without you, darling,”

_What if I made her hate me ?”

He asked with such innocence, it made her heart swell with both boundless love for this child, and boundless hatred at the “Dean”. She looked back down at him, and gently stroke his cheek:

_She could never hate you, chicken, she loves you too much,” The small boy deflated like a balloon, tears spilling from is bright blue eyes, so different from his sister’s pitch black ones:

_But it needs to stop,”

He managed in a tight sob, gazing at Perry pleadingly. She set her jaw, before roughly rubbing his arms, and stood up, grabbing his hands and leading him toward the kitchen:

_You know what Willy, next time family day comes around, you show me that family, I’ll have a word with them, yeah ?”

She looked down at the boy next to her, and chuckled as he beamed at her, grabbing her leg and arm with both hands.

Carmilla came to lunch that day, her hands wrapped in pearly white gauze, her jaw set firmly, looking straight in front of her, promising herself she would never again scrape her hands raw from clawing at the door, that she would never screaming her voice hoarse from begging at her tutor, or anyone else.

The promise crumbled in her chest as her eyes fell on the Dean’s sharp blue eyes, like two ice picks piercing her chest open, inhabiting her nightmares daily… She knew, intimately knew, that if it came down to it, she would do the exact same thing all over again. Because she was weak, and she was bad. Like a wine stain on a pristine cloth. Only salt, blood and sweat can scrap it off.

She sat down at her table, and waited for the dish to be passed on to her. Her eyes closed tightly as she prayed, prayed relentlessly for her brother never to be bad like she was… 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So chap 2 as promised, thank you so much for the kudos and review ! So yeah, angst, sorry ^^ Also fair warning slight misgendering, I'm so sorry but it wouldn't have made sense without it :-/ Also mention of abuse and yeah that's about it, enjoy :D

William sighed nervously as he hovered behind the door.

Family day came every Sunday, from two to six, and included both families who were visiting children put here in pension, and families looking to adopt amongst the flock of orphans put here every year.

This was a private facility, where parents gave up their rights as legal guardians, for a fee, in exchange for care of the child till the age of eighteen.

  As a private facility, the state had little to no control over the Silas Institute, though each and every adoption ought to be overseen and approved by a social worker provided by the state. Public system, after much resistance from the head of the institute, Ms. Lilita Morgan, usually referred to as “The Dean”, had managed to install a mandatory visit twice a year, one scheduled, one allegedly not, although everyone knew the Dean could get the date long in advance, usually even before those supposed to conduct the visit.

 But none of this helped the boy get ready for the very big task ahead of convincing a family that his sister needed to be adopted far away from here. A soft hand on his back snapped him out of his thoughts. He looked up and saw Perry, gently smiling down at him, before smoothing back in ever mussed up hair:

_There, you look very dashing Mr. Karnstein,”

He grinned. He and Perry had worked a plan all through the week, growing closer in the process:

_Do you think they will like me ?”

_They better,”

The small boy giggled at the fierce tone the red head had used. He leaned into her, half hiding in her leg as they waited for the other kids to come in. Carmilla once more was nowhere to be seen. Perry looked at the boy practically tucked in her jeans, her heart swelling with love for the little man next to her.

 She had always liked the small boy, but in the last week, she had completely fallen in love with him. His iron resolve to save his sister, his easy grin, his piercing shrieks when she tickled him. Everything.

 Though she stepped away from him when she heard the tell-tale sound of heels clacking on the tiling. She had also fallen in love with just how incredibly smart the small boy was, as he immediately grasped why she had stepped away, she knew in the way he didn’t try to fall into her once more, despite his obvious tension rising.

She turned around as the Dean walked toward them, six feet of power suited, middle aged glamazon. Her hand a deathly grip on Carmilla’s, trotting behind her, desperate to keep pace with the giant next to her. She stopped next to Perry, a pleasant smile on her face as she pulled Carmilla in front of her:

_Good afternoon Perry, would you mind cleaning this little one up ? I found her as such in her room, what a shame,”

She purred as she let her hand run in the young girl’s ruffled curls. Carmilla did her best not to shy away from the touch, though the tension in her face and shoulder was palpable, as she looked straight in front of her, motionless:

_Yes of course Ms. Morgan,”

Perry murmured, gently ushering Carmilla next to her:

_Good.”

Lilita walked away without a second glance at the small brunette. Perry waited for her to be out of sight, probably to welcome the families, before kneeling in front of Will, Carmilla right behind her, looking away from her brother. Will teared his eyes away from his sister before looking at Perry, his eyes swollen with worry:

_You do exactly as we planned darling ok ? I’ll be back as soon as possible,” William didn’t say anything, but she could see in his eyes just how terrified he was, “Don’t worry about anything, sweetie, you’ll be amazing,”

She rubbed his arms again, as she had gotten used to do whenever she needed to insufflate courage to the little boy in front of her. He quickly threw his arms around her before reluctantly letting go. He sneaked a glance at his sister, but she walked away as soon as Perry put her hand on her shoulder, never looking back, completely numb.

  Perry looked at the interaction with knitted eyebrows. They quickly reached the infirmary, she put her down on a bed. The young governess smiled down at the small brunette, gently ruffling her hair before walking out, earning a glare from the small brunette in the process. She smirked, this was the first emotion she saw out of the girl of the day. She quickly came back to see that Carmilla hadn’t moved an inch, hands crossed on her knees, looking down at the ground, completely closed off to the outside world. She sighed as she laid the material down on the table next to her, and turned to face the brunette:

_Hey sweetie, do you mind if I look you up ?”

The brunette gently shook her head, still mute. Perry sighed, closing her eyes in defeat before gently pulling Carmilla’s arm apart. At first glance she appeared fine, but the haunted expression she wore left no doubt in Perry’s mind that she was anything but. Her arms fell limply to the side as she let Perry handle her like a ragdoll. The red head gently untied her collar, and pulled the dress over her head, leaving the frail girl swimming in her underdress. Perry’s breath caught in her throat at how emaciated the girl was. A sack of bones… She couldn’t help it. She leaned and pulled the small girl in her arms. She stiffened immediately, ready to bolt. Perry only held her tighter, running her hand in the soft curls:

_It’ll all be over soon darling, I promise, I won’t let that devil woman lay another finger on you…”

She knew it was an empty promise, she had no power whatsoever as so what happened to her, but the way Carmilla melted in her arms was all that mattered right now. The small girl eventually pulled back, her obsidian eyes glossy with unshed tears:

_Please take care of my brother first, please ?”

The red hair gave her a watery smile, gently stoking the girl’s cheeks:

_I’ll always take care of your brother love, that I promise,”

She insured, because that was a promise she could keep, that she _would_ keep. If they couldn’t find a family for the both of them, which she prayed with all her might they would, she’d take William in a heartbeat. Even if she had to kidnap him, she would not leave him here without his sister. Though there weren’t enough deities to whom she could beg for this never to happen. Separating those two… It would be the worst evil of all.

 The small brunette nodded gravely, squeezing her hands tightly. She looked so old in that moment, like she would never smile again. The sight filled Perry with an ice cold rage, and iron determination to get those two out before the end of the day, no matter what. Carmilla cocked her head to the side, gazing at the fire-kissed woman before her with thinly veiled curiosity. Something had ignited her sea green eyes, they shone with such fierce resolve Carmilla felt a small shiver travel down her spine. But not the dreadful one she felt whenever she heard or caught a glimpse of the Dean. This shiver was a shockwave of the determination she read in her governess’s eyes, it was a light she knew she could trust with her life. She suddenly felt lighter by tenfold as Perry gave her a gentle smile. This woman would help them, would help Will, she was sure of it. So she smiled back, her first genuine smile in what felt like an eternity. Perry rubbed her arms the way she had noticed she did with Will, the way that always seemed to make him lighter:

_We’ll get you through this darling, I swear,”

There wasn’t a trace of doubt in her voice, nor in Carmilla’s faith in her words.

They quickly made it back to the hall used for family day. Carmilla was walking as straight as she could, her chin thrust forward in defiance. Perry’s word made her feel strong, they made her feel more confident that she had in ages. Though her hand tucked in hers as they made their way through the door also help a great deal. Perry stopped a few feet through the door, and knelt before the tiny girl:

_I’m going to see what Will has been up to, ok ? Try ad mingle with the other children,” Carmilla couldn’t help the feeling of dread that ran through her at the idea of being left alone, “don’t worry sweetie, I’m keeping my eyes on you, always,”

Carmilla nodded her resolve, tightly squeezing Perry’s hand, hoping it would convey what her words could not. Perry beamed at her, and rearranged her hair one last time before standing up and walking away. The small brunette sighed as she let her eyes roam the room, in search of a possible companion to interact with. None attracted her eyes. She had never really been a social butterfly, her… upbringing not really helping the matter… She sighed as she made her way to the room, finding an empty table to draw. She had always loved drawing. It was one of the rare hobbies Mama allowed, as she found it distinguished and stimulating. Her words not Carmilla’s… she grabbed a pencil and a white sheet, and gave free rein to her hand.

_Well hello there little man, who do we have here ?”

Perry had spotted Will the second she had walked into the room. His gleeful laughter echoing through the room like a beacon. The young boy whipped his head around at the voice, and grinned as he raced out of his chair into the red-head’s legs:

_Perry !!”

He shrieked in delight as she lifted him easily, poising him on her hips. A gentle laugh snapped her out of her delight as she turned to the noise, Will’s head tucked underneath her chin. Her gaze fell on a young woman, her ginger hair styled in an undercut, dressed with a lumberjack shirt and tight pants, and smile too big for her face that made Perry’s breath catch:

_Your boy is a darling,”

She rasped in a surprisingly deep voice. Perry blushed as she put Will down, who scurried back at the table to fiddle with some crayons and paper:

_Oh, he’s not mine, but he is a darling, isn’t he ?”

The other woman frowned, obviously confused:

_Oh… I’m sorry I’d have sworn…”She glanced at Will’s drawing, and gently pried one from the pile, “This is you isn’t it, though ?”

Perry took the drawing from the other woman, and gasped. Her heart skipped a beat as she indeed recognised herself, if the bright orange curls were any indication. She stood in the middle of the drawing, a smile on her face, surrounded by a sulky looking Carmilla and a beaming William, and written, “Me, Mama and Carmia” underneath. She covered her mouth in shock as tears pearled in her eyes. She was snapped out of her daze by a soft hand on her shoulder:

_Does something to you doesn’t it ?” The other woman smirked as she gently patted her shoulder, sending small tingles in Perry’s arm, “I’m Susan by the way, but everyone calls me Laf,”

Perry chuckled as she quickly dried her tears:

_Seems logical,”

She laughed, amused. The small tingles travelled down to her stomach as Laf laughed with her:

_Yeah it a diminutive of my last name Lafontaine,”

Perry cocked her head to the side, curious:

_Do you not like your name ?”

_Oh no I do it’s just,”

Lafontaine fiddled with her hands, clearly uncomfortable. A gentle smile curled Perry’s lips:

_ Complicated ? It’s ok you don’t have to talk about it you don’t want to,” Perry chuckled at the obvious relief that flooded Lafontaine’s face, “I’m Lola by the way, but everyone calls me Perry,”

She winked as Lafontaine giggled:

_How dare you make fun of me !”

Perry laughed even more as Lafontaine playfully pouted. She felt so at ease with her, like she had nothing to feel self-conscious about, like they had known each other their whole life…:

_So, Laf, what brings you to Silas ?”

_I’m actually here with my uncle, he’s looking to adopt, to hum…”

She smile immediately fell as she looked down, pensive:

_What’s wrong Miss Lafontaine ?”

A small voice piped in before Perry could. Lafontaine snapped out of her daze and looked at William, who had rounded the table to stand in front of her:

_Nothing little man, just thinking of something bad,”

William frowned, clearly confused

_You shouldn’t, not if it makes you sad like that,”

Lafontaine chuckled as she ruffled the small boy’s hair:

_Sometimes you don’t really have a choice kiddo,” The young boy cocked his head to the side, trying to understand, “If you want to make peace with your sadness you have to confront it head on,”

Lafontaine smiled at him, a soft, honest smile that struck Perry in the chest:

_That’s… Very good advice, Lafontaine,”

She rasped as she gazed at the woman in front of her, awed. Lafontaine blushed, scratching the back of her head with an embarrassed chuckle:

_Laf !” A deep voice resonated next to Perry, startling her, “I hope they haven’t traumatised either of you, they really lack basic social skills,’

_Hey !”

They ? Perry frowned as she watched Lafontaine’s blush deepened as she smacked the man’s shoulder, who just laughed in return as he dropped into a chair next to her, well them, apparently. The confusion she felt must have shown on her face, as she noticed the two sharing a look, before the man turned around to her, a wry smile on his face:

_Yeah, Lafontaine here doesn’t really identify as either gender, so they prefer to be referred to as they and them, and seen as a person, rather than man or woman,”

Perry’s eyebrow shot up to her hairline. She had never heard of such a thing. She schooled her features as soon as she saw Lafontaine’s face twist in pain and embarrassment:

_Hey, don’t you go around looking like that,” She gently admonished as she gave a small fillip at Lafontaine knitted eyebrow. Their head shot up straight at her, pure shock replacing any other emotion. Perry smiled playfully as she held William to her, “If I’ve learnt anything here it’s that, if you find something that makes you feel good, you hang on to it as tight as you can, besides I think the concept is really interesting,”

She grinned as Lafontaine’s mouth fell open in utter astonishment. A booming laugh snapped them both out of their bubble. The man slammed his hand on the table, hysterical:

_Laf I don’t know where you found her, but don’t ever let her go !” The two red head turned a deep shade of carmine as the man laughed even harder, William gazing at them, lost, “I’m Mark Hollis by the way, pleased to meet you young lady,”

He pulled out a gigantic hand at Perry, who hesitantly shook it back, glancing at a beet red Lafontaine, she eventually grinned back at the man in front of her, unable to resist the charming smile:

_The pleasure is mine sir, I’m Perry,”

_Oh please call me Mark !” And grinned at her again, before looking down at William, who immediately retracted in Perry’s leg, “and who might that be,”

Perry looked down at her little man, a found smile on her face:

_This, is William Karnstein, go say hello Will,”

The small boy took an hesitant step toward the seemingly enormous man in front of him:

_Hello, Mr. Mark…”,He murmured, red as a tomato. But Perry’s hand in his hair gave him courage, “Can you please adopt my sister ?”   

Mr. Hollis’s eyebrows shot up in surprise, before glancing at Perry, who looked like she was trying to fit too many emotions on her face. Shock, surprise, anger, love, sorrow. So much sorrow on such a young face. He looked down at William, a picture perfect cross between hopeful and terrified:

_What do you mean your sister ? Aren’t coming with her ?”

William shrugged, staring at his shoes intently:

_I would like to…But Ms. Lafontaine said you only wanted to adopt a little girl, and my sister is a little girl, though you shouldn’t tell her that, because she would be angry at me…”

_Would she now ?”

Mr. Hollis looked back up at Perry confused. She looked like she was on the verge of tears. The older man frowned, before looking back down at the small boy standing before him:

_Hey, William ?”The boy looked up at his name being called. Mr. Hollis smiled warmly, “do you mind if I let you with Laf a minute ? I’d like to talk to your governess,”

William stared at him in shock, surprised a grown-up was asking him permission for anything. He blushed and shook his head, looking back down at the ground. Mr. Hollis nodded once before standing up and walking away, silently inviting Perry to follow him. She did, not without one last look and smile at her little man:

_I hate to pry but…” Her head snapped around at the grave voice, it had somehow lost all its joy, “Something tells me this is about more than it might look like at first glance ?”, Perry gazed at the man in front of her, caught. She couldn’t lie. But she also couldn’t divulge the truth, not like that. The Dean held too much power, too good a reputation. She would make certain not one word Perry said would ever be believe, with far too much ease, “Ms Perry ?”

She started slightly, and looked back up at the man, praying for him to understand. He gazed at her cautiously. But he knew that look. He had seen it many times down at the station. The look that said “please don’t ask but guess”. He nodded again, before setting his jaw. There was something off about this place. He surveyed the room with a sharp eye. Something was amiss. Between the look Perry was giving him, the terrified air on William’s face:

_So where is this moody sister Will was referring to ?”

He asked, as nonchalantly as he could, though he was already quite certain he had spotted said sister. Sitting alone in a corner, drawing. He followed Perry’s gaze, and fell on two sharp, onyx eyes, peering at him with much more depth and calculation that should ever be found on any of the children here.  Her eyes widened as she caught his gaze, and she scrambled to change her pen from her left to her right hand:

_I’ll be right back,”

Perry nodded, and walked back to William.

 

She sat in her corner quietly, like Mama had told her to, when she felt a gaze of her. She looked up and spotted Perry looking at her, whilst she spoke to a man whom she did not know. He turned around to look at her, his clear eyes sharp and focused. Like he understood, more than he led on. She quickly looked back down at her drawing when she saw him stand up and make his way to her. She already knew how this would go down. She’d talk to him, he’d probably tell her he wanted her, but somehow always seemed to retract at the last minute, as they always did. Despite what Perry had told her, she knew she wouldn't get out of here until her eighteenth birthday. She’d fight for William though, teeth and nails. Someone clearing their throat snapped her out of her thoughts:

_Hi,” The man smiled, as he took a sit in front of her, “I’m Mark, William tells me you’re his sister ?”

The young girl stared at him, unsure how to proceed. Mama had never told her what to do if she were approached. The man, Mark, dropped his hand on the table with a small sigh, though he kept smiling:

_Can I ask you something ?”, She kept her head down, eyes trained on her hands, “Why did you change hand when I came over ?”

She jumped slightly, wincing. He shouldn't have noticed that. She should have followed Mama’s instructions:

_Pumpkin ?”

She jumped again, putting the pen down neatly in front of her:

_Mama doesn't like it when I use my left hand, she says it’s the devil’s hand.”

She murmured in a clipped tone, and slightly glanced up at the man, praying he wouldn’t ask any more questions. Mama had warned her about too many question…

Mark’s frown deepened as he saw the distressed look on the girl’s face, all his alarms bells ringing full force. Something was definitely off. He dropped it though, she looked like she was on the verge of a panic attack, he bit down his cheeks, fighting his instinct to dig deeper, and looked at the sheets of paper sprawled all over the table

_Those are some nice drawing you made there, can I see ?”

They really were, especially for such a young child… Practice makes perfect. But this looked like devotion. She leaned back slightly in her chair, crossing her hands on her knees, her eyes still on her stubbornly on her hands. He smiled gently at her before grabbing one or two sheets, and looking at them appraisingly:

_Those are very nice !”He grinned at her as he peaked at the other drawings, a veil on sadness fell on his face, “My daughter used to draw too, she loved it…”

Carmilla cocked her head to the side. She rose her eyes to the man without thinking, curiosity getting the best of her:

_Used to ?”

Mark laughed as he looked at her:

_It speaks !,” She blushed with a pout as she looked back down, “Yeah, she… lost interest”

The brunette’s head shot up at that. How did one lose interest in drawing ?

_It’s a long story cupcake, maybe she’ll tell you one day…”

He sounded so wistful, like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders:

_I’m sorry…”

He looked back up at her, surprised:

_What are you sorry about, sweetheart ?”

She shrugged:

_I don’t know, you just look so sad, it’s what people usually say when other people look sad…”

Mark chuckled lightly at the girl in front of him. She and her brother were something else, to be sure. Sharp as knives, that seemed to have seen far too much already. He smiled warmly down at her:

_Well thank you, that’s very nice… I never did get your name darling ?”

_Carmilla,” She piped with a small voice, unaccustomed to the amount of pet names, Perry did use a lot, but it was Perry… “My name is Carmilla,”

_It’s a lovely name,” He grinned at her as he extended his hand again, she grabbed it slowly, a small smile on her face, “It’s a pleasure to meet you Carmilla”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So voila, Mr Hollis and Laf introduced ;) prepare for some disgusting LaFerry, aaaand more angst ! Yaay... also this isn't betaed so any mistakes are mine, I apologise, it might also be wise to mention that english isn't my mother tongue, so as proficient as I'd like to think I am, butchering of the language as well as your feelings is entirely possible... ^^ Next chapter Wednesday, in the mean time feel free to share your thoughts ! Tataa !


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Why hello there dear readers ! Thank you so much for your support ! Here's Wednesday's chapter as promised, I re read it as thoroughly as I could but mistakes are still more than possible, anyway enjooy !

Perry looked at Carmilla and Mark interact from afar, surprised that the petite brunette opened quite so fast to the bear of a man that was Laf’s uncle:

_I know he may not look like it, but he’s a very good guy, and an even better father,”

Perry shifted her gaze back at Lafontaine, thoughtful, before looking back at gruff looking man laughing with a wildly giggling Carmilla. It warmed her heart to see her so carefree. William had joined them at some point, showing off his drawing to both his sister and Mark. Looking at them she could easily believe it:

_He practically raised me,” Perry turned around, gazing at Laf, her entire focus suddenly on them, “When I came out to my parents as non-binary, they… Didn’t take it very well,” They paused for a second, gathering their ideas, a small smile pulling at their lips, “Mark took me in without a question, opened his arms and home to me in a heartbeat, even with everything going on with his family, he didn’t hesitate once.” Perry looked back at the man currently deep in conversation with her two monsters, somehow it didn’t surprise her one bit. “He was the one that re-established contact with my parents…” 

She turned around once more, and gently grabbed their hands. They hung on to it like a buoy, before slowly looking back up at the woman sitting in front of them, her eyes shining with concern and understanding, not an ounce of judgment. She was just listening, taking it in, like it was the most natural thing in the world. Lafontaine snorted lightly as they looked back down at their tangled hands.   
They squeezed them lightly before leaning back in her seat:

_They’re lucky to have you, those two,”

They nodded toward the two siblings. Perry hesitated a second before leaning back in her chair as well:

_I’m not doing much of anything for them…” 

Lafontaine snapped their heads at the red head before them:

_You love them ?”  
_Of course,”

The words fell out of her mouth before she even had to think about it. Lafontaine smirked as they looked back at the trio:

_Then you’re doing plenty,”

A deep blush bloomed on her cheeks at the compliment, but her thoughts were interrupted by a wide grin breaking on Lafontaine’s face, and a whirlwind of dark hair, as she was assailed by William, who eagerly climbed on her laps, without an ounce of hesitation, Carmilla stood close by, her hand balled up in the red-head’s blouse. Mark ruffled her hair as he walked passed her and dropped in the third chair, sitting idly between the two red-heads. He took a deep breath as he let his eyes linger on the lot of them. They had met but hours ago, but he’d be damned if they didn’t look like an, albeit mismatched, family. 

Six o’clock was right around the corner. 

He had only been there three hours. But he’d made his decision. There was no way he was letting those two in here. Not when he looked at them interact and laugh so easily with Lafontaine. He couldn’t afford it. He knew he couldn’t. Not with… But Carmilla grinned at him, and he knew really, he didn’t have much of a choice. He hugged them both when the Dean came by to thank the families, and regrouped children. Carmilla held him tight, gripping his shirt with her tiny fists, but didn’t make eye contact with him as she joined her dormitory group section, her eyes on the ground, her hands tied together in front of her. He sighed:*

_Perry,”

She turned around, William holding her hand. She ushered him forward when she crossed the serious gaze Mark was giving her:

_Go on, Darling, I’ll be right there,”

He nodded, waved at both he and Lafontaine before running to his section:

_I want to start the procedures of adoption,”

Perry gaped at him, shocked:

_But I thought-”  
_I can help him, too” Perry turned around to the red-head, “financially I mean, I’m working as an analyst in a lab, but I’m getting my PhD soon… ish, and don’t even try to fight it Papa Hollis, it’s the least I can do,”

Perry started chuckling in disbelief as she gazed at the two wonderful people in front of her:

_You’re not… You’re serious ?”  
_Serious as a heart attack,” Mark piped up with a smirk, finally relinquishing his intense gaze on the annoying person next to him, knowing it was a losing battle “I’ll bring my daughter next week to see how they get along, but I have absolutely no doubts it’ll go swimmingly, Laura… I’m sure she’ll be delighted to have the company”

Lafontaine gave the man a warm smile as they squeezed his arm. But their moment was cut short when they were pulled in a death grip along with Mark, as Perry practically forced them both in a bone crushing embrace:

_Thank you, thank you, thank you…” She repeated, her voice tight with tears, “You have no idea what this means to us… To them…”

Mark easily hugged her back, winking down at a flabbergasted Lafontaine, who awkwardly patted Perry on the back. She pulled back as fast as she had pulled them in, a heart stopping grin splitting her face in two, splitting Lafontaine’s heart in pieces…:

_I’ll take you to the administration right away, then, so we can start as soon as possible-”  
_Actually Perry, we’re not going to be able to do it today, we have to go get my daughter out of her… session”

Perry’s smile fell almost immediately:

_Oh… Yes of course, it’s no problem, you can swing by tomorrow, I just have to get for a visitor’s pass, it’ll only take a minute, if you’d come this way,”

They quickly made their way to the administrative building, as Perry swiftly explained the adoption process. It could take between a few weeks to a few months, or even years, depending on the cases. Though at Carmilla and Will’s age it shouldn’t take too long, save for the fact that they were adopting siblings, thus twice the paperwork… Perry pleaded with whatever deities out there that the sheer amount of bureaucracy would not discourage Mark. He laughed heartedly when she asked:

_I’m the DA, Perry, if paperwork scared me, I’d be in a hell of trouble,”

Perry’s eyes nearly popped out of her head when she realised to whom she was talking. The District Attorney ?? Seriously ?? 

_Close that mouth Perry, you’ll catch flies,”

She snapped her mouth shut as she glared at the man in front of her, though her usually oh so efficient stink eye lost quite a lot of its power, as she fully understood to whom she was addressing it. Her blush though lost none of its flourish when the older man aimed a wink at her as he held the door to the administration hall. She took the opportunity to get a head start on the battle field that was to begin the day after that, as she prepared the two badges:

_I’ll only need one badge Perry, Lafontaine has classes tomorrow, they won’t be able to make it,”  
_Oh”

The red-head tried her best to hide her disappointment, and quickly wrote down Marc’s information and purpose on the name tag. A couple of signatures later and the two were ready to go. The young governess let her eyes linger a second on Lafontaine, before she grabbed a piece of paper and swiftly scribbled something on it before slipping it into their hand as they walked out the door. She gave them a shy smile before locking the door behind her, pinching the bridge of her nose. She was a twenty-three year old grown ass woman for Christ sake…

Behind the door though, Lafontaine was in no better state. They stared at the door in surprise for a second before unfolding the paper. Their grin widened by tenfold when they saw the ten digits “in case of an emergency. One can never be too careful”. They chuckled lightly as they tucked the paper in their shirt pocket. For all her bragging about the importance of cleanliness, Perry was one of the messiest writers they had ever seen…

 

Carmilla woke up the next morning to the smell of detergent and roses. She cracked an eye open with a groan, drowsy with sleep as she rubbed her eyes, and finally looked up. She was met with a mess of curls and a dazzling smile:

_Perry…?”

She croaked half-heartedly, stifling a yawn, before frowning. She slowly came out of her slumber, blinking heavily, her frown deepening. She couldn’t remember the last time someone had personally woken her up like that:

_Is something wrong ? Is William ok ?”

The young governess immediately softened Carmilla’s messy curls as she saw the obsidian orbs widen in worry: 

_No, no sweet pea, everything is fine,” She grinned widely as the young brunette relaxed, “Everything is swell actually ! I have some news for you my darling,” 

The small girl perked up immediately, all remnants of sleep forgotten:

_What is it ?”

She piped up, the red head swoon at the question, filled with an innocence and hope she hadn’t expected coming from the small girl. The face splitting grin on her face practically kept her from talking:

_Mr. Hollis wants to adopt you,” Carmilla’s face slackened in shock, “Both of you,”

She had hurled herself in Perry’s arms before the older woman had even finished talking, her sobs of pure joy. 

She cried quietly, holding on tightly to her governess, relief crashing through her like a tidal wave. She was getting out. William was getting out.   
There was the real miracle. 

He would never know about any minuscule closets, about starvation, about any of the horrors of the world. Not if she had something to do with it.   
She vaguely remembered Perry telling her about Mr. Hollis bringing his daughter next family day, though truth be told she had hardly listened to a word after those five magic words… 

She scurried out of her bed as soon as the governess let her go, off to god knew where, though the red-head had her small idea. She shook her head with a smile, and quickly made the little minx’s bed before exiting the dorm room. 

She glanced at her clock, 7:07am.

Her smile broadened at the round hour. She was not superstitious by any stretch of imagination, but she liked to think that looking at round hours, meant someone was thinking about her. Hopefully a fellow red head with a grin a tad too big for their face… 

She shook her head again with a slight blush, now was not the time for mooning. Breakfasts had to be ingested, and obnoxiously complex legal wars had to be waged… She swiftly made her made to the kitchen, poured herself a glass of hot cocoa (which she ended up relinquishing to one of her puppy eyed children), and made her way to the administration hall. 

Mr. Hollis was to arrive around eight o’clock, he had retained his Monday for this purpose specifically. She nervously busied herself in the office, going over again and again the paper, making absolute certain that she had not forgotten any (and also took the opportunity to straighten up the place. She may or may not have also reorganised each and every folder she could put her hands on a colour coded system. Dutifully explained on the dashboard facing the front door. Yes she had had a lot of time to kill…)

She heaved a sigh and slumped in the chair, at around 7:44, finally admitting that there was indeed absolutely nothing left for her to do but wait… Her head dropped on the desk she had borrowed for the day with a loud smack:

_Already that kind of day, huh ?”

She shrieked, her head shooting upright almost immediately. Mr.Hollis chuckled loudly as he plopped down in the chair in front of her, lazily sipping on his coffee:

_Mr.Hollis,” a loud cough interrupted her, “Mark,” She narrowed her eyes at the childlike antics at the man in front of her, “please do refrain from causing me a heart attack, my work here is not quite done yet.” 

He chuckled again as he pulled out another cup, and pushed it toward the fiery governess:

_Deal,” 

She frowned at the cup, but soon enough the irresistible aroma of hot cocoa reached her nose:

_Bribery won’t get you out of anything,”

She reached for the cup nonetheless, and took a tentative sip, barely holding back a contented groan as the scalding liquid swirled on her tongue:

_Maybe not, but I ought to use every advantages I can get right ?”, She glared at him again as he snorted, but greedily sipped on her cocoa all the same. You don’t look a gifted horse in the mouth right, “So, I know I’m a bit early, but I figured the sooner we start the better,”

Perry glanced at the clock 7:52

_No, you are perfectly on time, also perfectly right, we have a lot to go through today, starting early most certainly won’t do any harm,”  
_Right, by the way Laf wanted me to apologise on their behalf again,” 

The young woman’s head snapped up again:

_Lafontaine ? Why ?”

Mr. Hollis hid his smirk in his cup. Why those two had not found each other before truly was a crime:

_She really wanted to be here, get to know Carmilla a bit, amongst other things… She didn’t really have time yesterday to really talk to her,”  
_Oh,” The fire-kissed governess beamed at the thought, “Well never mind about that, she’ll get plenty of time next Sunday,”   
_Sure…”

She ignored the older man’s growing smirk, and dove in the paper work head first. They quickly lost themselves in the mess that was the adoption process.  
William practically ran in the hallway, bolting to his sister’s room. Perr had told him Carm had some news to tell him. He was stopped dead in his track by a piercing shriek. And a sob. He slowly walked to the slightly jarred door leading to the kitchen, and gently pushed it open as another gut wrenching sob ripped through the air:

_I don’t know how you managed to get the district attorney to come around here, Carmilla, but you are going to get him OUT of my establishment as quickly as that shrivelled mind of yours can !”

The eerily calm voice filled the small boy with anguish, as he shuddered at the distorted sound of his sister pleading:

_Carmilla ?”

William stared at her, and at Mrs.Dean, currently holding his sister’s hair high above her head, and his sister’s cheeks drenched in tears. Her eyes widened to an impossible size:

_Will get out,” She rasped, her voice unnaturally high pitched. William shifted his mesmerised gaze at the Dean, who had yet to move, “WILLIAM”

Both he and the Dean were startled by the desperate shriek. The whole scene unravelled before his young eyes before he could process any of it. The Dean took a menacing step toward him. Carmilla’s terror morphed into ferocious anger in a second as she yanked her hair away from the Dean and lunged at her, an unnatural growl hurling out of her throat. She was swept back like a rag doll by a flick of a wrist as the Dean turned back to her:

_HOW DARE YOU, YOU LITTLE-”

William started crying uncontrollably, at a complete loss. The commotion attracted everyone around. Other children started crying, as Carmilla crawled backward, as far, and as fast as possible away from the enraged woman. She shrank in a quivering mess against the wall, hiding from the terrible hand hanging over her like a Damocles sword. It never came down. A bark of a voice. The sound of struggling. 

A gun shot.

Carmilla shrank against the wall even more, trembling and wheezing, tears flooding her hollow cheeks, her lungs seemingly never gulping enough air. Her vision filled with more and more black spots, as her breaths became more and more erratic, more and more urgent, less and less relieving. Her last conscious thought was for her crying brother. She heard someone yell his name.

Then darkness engulfed her…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tatatataaaa ! 
> 
> Also I just started school again, and also have a job, so schedule might be a bit hectic, but I shall do my best to keep it up, though Saturday instead of Friday from now on ! Cheers ! :D


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi yall ! chap 4 on Saturday, as promised :D thank you again so much for the kudos and comments it means the world !

A stray ray of sunshine gently warmed her cheeks. It soon reached her onyx eye, and forced it open, as consciousness slowly came back to her. There was a blissful second of confusion. Before it all came back crashing down on her:

_WILLIAM !”

The name came flying out of her mouth before anything else as the jerked upright. An unpleasant prick held her back, she snapped her head around, only to find a needle pried in the crook of her elbow, a tube sticking out of it, linked to a weird transparent pocket filled with what looked like water. She didn’t take the time to ponder it much longer, as a growing sense of terror quickly filling her senses. She blenched as the door was pushed open. Her gaze focused much more intensely on the open door than on the person crossing the threshold as she started calculating escape routes, pure panic taking over her system completely. She needed to find William, to make sure he was ok:

_Hey, hey, hey Carm ! Carmilla !”, Someone rushed to her side, she started shrieking as she desperately trying to buck them off, her brother the only thing in her mind, “Carmilla, sweetie, calm down, you’re ok ! you’re safe !”

The eager sound of her governess’s voice made its way it the girl’s panic filled mind. She slowly stopped jerking like a wild animal, and actually took a look at the person holding her down:

_Perry ?”

A toothy, wet grin broke on the red-head’s face:

_Yeah, baby girl, it’s me, you’re ok, William’s ok !”

The older woman assured her before she could ask. She slumped completely in her governess’s arms, who gently laid her back against the mountain of pillows behind her. She looked so tiny, in the two size too big hospital gown, and the immense bed, so fragile:

_Where am I ? Where’s Will ?”

The girl ask, her dark orbs still fraught with fear and worry. Perry smoothed back her unruly curls, pushing them away from the sweat drenched forehead:

_You are at the St. Leonhard Hospital, sweetie…”

_At the hospital ?”

She sounded so lost, her eyes almost swimming in their sockets, her cheek so sharp and hollow, Perry could practically decipher the young girl’s skull underneath…:

_Yes, sweetheart, the hospital, do you not remember what happened ?”

The small brunette looked down, frowning in concentration and confusion:

_I was in the kitchen, mama… Mama was pulling my hair, William walked in… I lashed out at mama…” A sharp flash of recognition crossed her delicate features, “the gun shot ?”

_No one was hurt,” Perry assured her immediately, stroking her damp hair, “Mr. Hollis fired a warning shot, then we were able to… Handle Mrs. Morgan…”

Carmilla couldn’t help a shiver at the name. Perry’s hand tightened slightly in her hair, she looked up questioningly, only to be met with the same unshakable determination she had seen in the governess’s jade eyes back in the infirmary:

_Carmilla,” The young girl frowned, Perry practically never used her full name, “I _swear_ to you, on everything holy on this planet, that I will never let this woman anywhere near you ever again, ok ?

The young brunette couldn’t help but smile. When Perry looked at her like that, she could have made her believe wholeheartedly anything she wanted. She threw her frails arms around the older woman, shaking slightly with unshed tears:

_Thank you mama,”

A strong pair of arms was quick to hug her back, as Perry buried her head in the crook o her neck:

_You’re welcome, my darling,”

 

Mr. Hollis slowly pushed the door open more, only to find one of the sweetest scenes he had ever witnessed. Carmilla, tiny and frail, curled up in Perry’s arms, her hands fisting the fabric of the red-head’s jumper, said red head sporting one of the softest smile he’d ever seen, her face glowing in the boundless love only a parent can bare. He was quick to take a picture before bursting the bubble:

_Perry,”

He called out softly, yet the governess’s face still jerked in surprise. She smiled as soon as she recognised the older man. She looked down at the tiny girl firmly tucked in her arms, worry taking over her features:

_They’re not letting her out, are they…”

Mark slowly shook his head as he made his way to the bed, sitting on the chair next to them:

_Not until she’s put on at least twenty pounds, if not more…”

_I’m sorry…”

The DA looked up at the woman before him in surprise:

_Perry !”

He rose from his seat and put an arm around the suddenly crying governess:

_I’m-I’m so so-sorry…”

She sniffled as quietly as she could, not wanting to wake up the girl in her arms:

_Perry…”

He called out again, practically whispering, at a complete and utter loss as to why _she_ , of all people involved, was apologising:

_I should- I should have done something ! I could and I didn’t-”

The rest of her sentence was strangled in a painful sob, and buried in a large chest. Her head fell on the older man’s shoulder, guilt and self-loathing devouring her. Mark held her for a moment, before pulling back, his hands holding the delicate shoulders:

_Lola,” She started at the use of her first name, “You are the only person in this whole mess who has _nothing_ , to feel guilty about, you did everything you could, anymore and that awful woman would have had you fired, that, would have been the real disaster. You were stuck between a rock and a hard place, there was nothing more you could have done but what you did, “She gazed at him, confused, “Loving them, with all you might and heart,” She hesitated a second before nodding meekly, “Good girl,”

She snorted as he squeezed her shoulders, and handed her a tissue:

_Thank you Mark, for sticking with them,”

_I’m sticking with all of you kid,” She chuckled lightly as she quietly blew her nose, “The doc should be here in a moment to check up on Carm now that she’s awake, you should get some rest Per, Laf can take it from here, yeah ?”

She smiled and looked down at the girl:

_Yeah, I just want to be there when she wakes up,”

_No problem, I still have, quite a lot to deal with back at the office… So I don’t know if I’ll have time to come back today, So I’ll see the both of you tomorrow ?”

_Of course,”

 The red head smiled tiredly as she raked a hand through her curls

_Hang in there Per, yeah ?”

_Promise,”

He grinned and winked, and walked out the door. Leaving Perry to heave a gigantic sigh. She looked down at the tiny body curled up practically on her lap. A small snort escaped her, Carmilla looked like a cat, she was almost certain that if she leaned in close enough she’d hear her purr. She gently pushed away the unruly tresses that had fallen over the lovely face sometime during her sleep. She looked so peaceful, so young. Younger than her years for once. Somehow the girl never seemed to match her age, often above, rarely under, never in sync. The thought tugged at her heart, barely a prick, yet unavoidable. She leaned ever closer to the sleeping girl, enveloping her more fully, her lips grazing her crown. She let a few tears pearl out of her eyes. The last ones. As she silently apologised to the girl, marvelled at her trust, at her strength…

She looked up at the sound of the door opening, and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Lafontaine poke their head through the door:

_Hey, can I come in ?”

Perry couldn’t help but laugh softly as she nodded, the rest of the red-head’s body materialising after their head, as they closed the door behind them, and took a seat in the chair formerly used by Mr. Hollis:

_How is she ?”

_Exhausted…”

Lafontaine snorted lightly as they looked at the girl tucked in Perry’s arms:

_I think she can be,”

The former governess laughed lightly as she stroked the young girl’s hair:

_How are you ?”

Perry’s eyebrows shot up in surprise, not having expected the question. She frowned, glancing at the other red-head sitting in the chair next to her, she looked back down at Carmilla at the intensity she saw in the steely gaze:

_I’m fine, why would you ask ?”

_Because you’ve barely slept, or eaten, in the last forty eight hours”, they deadpanned, still staring at her, a small frown grazed their feature, “I don’t really know how you’re alive right now actually, it’s rather interesting…”

It suddenly dawned on Perry that she hadn’t indeed eaten, or slept, or done much of anything else in the past few days aside from worry to death about the small girl tucked in her arms. A small giggle burst out of her throat. Lafontaine raised a puzzled eyebrow at her. She chuckled once more, a slight blush blossoming on her cheeks:

_I’ve only just realised how hungry I actually am…”

As if on cue, a loud rumble filled the room, as Perry’s stomach made itself known to life once more, rather noisily. Lafontaine burst on in the quietest laughter they could managed, silently clapping their hands together as their shoulders widely shook:

_Lafontaine !”

The governess hissed, her eyes wide in reprimand, as the other red-head kept on laughing silently. They eventually settled down, mirth and mockery still dancing in their grey eyes:

_Why don’t you just go home for the night, Carm’s fine, so is Will, and I _swear_ I will call you if anything worthy happens,”

She frowned, wondering if she and the scientist shared the same definition of “worthy”. But another issue suddenly dawned on her. She hadn’t even though about it in the past couple of days. Her home was in the Sylas Orphanage, currently shut down for investigation…:

_What’s wrong ?”

Lafontaine’s sharp voice interrupted her disastrous train of thoughts. She hesitated a second before deflating like a balloon:

_I… I don’t have a home, right now…”

The scientist frowned for a second, before a flash of realisation struck their face:

_You lived in the orphanage, of course…”

Perry took a second to marvel at how quickly they had put the pieces together, but it did not in any way provide a solution to her current predicament. She stared quizzically, if somewhat worriedly, as a grin broke on Laf’s face:

_You can just crash at our place !”

_Wha-n-”

_Yes ! Papa Hollis sent Laura to her grandparents’ house so he could prepare for Carm and Will, if we stick them or the girls in the same room, there’s an extra bed just for you !”

_No I would never-”

_That’s brilliant, wait just let me call Mark right no-”

_Lafontaine !”

The governess hissed as loud as she could with the sleeping child in their arms. She sighed as they froze and looked up at her, clearly surprised. She pinched the bridge of her nose, and gently pried herself away from the young girl, who in turn curled up even deeper in one of the many pillow littering her bed. Even unconscious she had managed to charm the pillows off of the all the nurses around here. Perry couldn’t help by smirk at the thought as she ushered the other red-head out of the room. They looked at her quizzically:

_Look, it’s incredibly sweet of you to offer, but I would never dare to impose on you or Mr. Hollis like that it would be-”

_Perry,” The governess clamped up, slowly looking back up as she heard her name, “I wouldn’t be offering if I knew it would put any stress on anyone in the family,” They looked pointedly at the slightly blushing woman, “So when I tell you that Mark would be delighted to have you, I mean every word, ok ?”

Perry thought about declining once more, but as she gazed at the scientist, she saw nothing but honesty, gazing at her insistently. She heaved a sigh, her eyes falling shut in surrender. She still had the time to catch Lafontaine’s toothy grin as they dug out their phone. They were quick to make arrangements with Mr. Hollis, and ended the phone call in a matter of minutes:

_See, told you, he’s expecting you and he’s stoked,”

Perry chuckled lightly, biting back the lump in her throat at how amazingly kind those people were. Lafontaine just grinned at her, looking about the same age as William in this very moment. Her body reacted before she could process, and she found herself hurling the red-head in a bone crushing embrace, her fist closed tightly against their back. It took Lafontaine a second, or ten, before they thought of hugging her back, but the governess pulled away the second their hand touched her back, the brightest smile they had ever seen stretching her lips:

_Thank you so much Lafontaine,”

She squeezed their hands, her eyes brimming with joy and gratitude. The scientist lost themselves in the light green eyes for what felt like hours… That is until a buzz in their pockets snapped them both out of their moment. They step back, masking their flush in a cough as they fished their phone out of their pockets and quickly checked:

_It’s hum… It’s Mark telling me to give you my keys, he’ll put them under the mat as soon as you get there”

_Oh, ok, yes perfect, thank you again, really, this means a lot...”

_don’t even worry about it’s, hum fine…”

They glanced at each other awkwardly for a moment, before Lafontaine dug something else out of their pockets. Some fighting, cursed and a small jingling later, and they pulled out a set of key with a triumphant cry. The governess couldn’t help but laugh as the other red-head grinned victoriously at her, before handing her said keys. They pointed at a small round one:

_This one in for the door fence, and this one” They touched a heavy looking one with complex carvings, “is for the front door…” They chuckled as they caught Perry’s incredulous gaze at the rather enormous key, “Yeah” They drawled, laughing, “Papa Hollis likes his safety…”  

_Indeed,”

She giggled as she put the key in her own jean pockets, before looking back up at Lafontaine, who just gazed at her for a second before shaking their head:

_Here I almost forgot,” They fished out their phone and typed something on it. Perry felt a buzz in her back pocket a second later, “That’s the full address, and the quickest way from A to B, it’s not very far, like twenty minutes walk tops,”

Perry nodded as she stared at the text. She took the opportunity to enter Lafontaine’s number in her contact list, not unbeknownst to the smirking scientist. Perry was the one to break the awkward silence this time:

_So I should probably go… Before it gets too late…”

She glanced at the clock, it was around nine o’clock, the sun had already set long ago, but the more she lingered the worst it’ll be… She glanced at the person before her, desperate to find a reason to linger, but she knew this it would indeed be unwise, let alone rude to Mr. Hollis waiting for her right now:

_Well I’ll see you tomorrow anyway, I’m bringing back Willy home, and you’ll be visiting Carm of course…”

A smile broke on Perry’s face at the thought of her two darlings. She had been with William right before Carm had woken up, and had left him in a peaceful sleep. She glanced at the young girl’s door. She hesitated but a second before gently opening it, and making her way to the bed, Lafontaine right behind her. She leaned toward the onyx curls and planted a delicate kiss on her forehead, and pushing yet again the messy locks away. The small girl stirred awake:

_Perry ?”

She cracked an eye open. Perry gently smiled down, kneeling down in front of her:

_Hey, baby girl, I have to go home for the night, but I’ll be back tomorrow to see you ok ? I promise…”

The girl nodded with a yawn before closing her eyes, falling back in Morpheus’s arms almost immediately:

_I’ve no idea how they do that…”Perry looked back up at Lafontaine questioningly, “Fall asleep so easily…”

The governess snorted lightly before standing back up and making her way to the door. She turned around as she felt a slight grasp on her arm:

_Hey…”

She cocked her head to the side, the scientist looked unusually serious:

_What is it Laf ?”

They sighed and let go of Perry’s arm as she fully turned around:

_I should probably warn you about something, so you don’t get freaked out by the lay out of the house,” Perry’s frown deepened as she mulled over the red-head’s word, “ Laura… She was in an accident… With her mum…” Lafontaine cut her distraught reply short, “ Mrs. Hollis died, and…” Horror slowly painted on the governess’s face as the scientist swallowed a lump, “Laura lost her eyesight, “An eerie shrill rang in Perry’s ears, “She’s blind.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hahaa ! The plot thickens ! tell me what you thought ! Seeyall Wednesday ! tataa ! :D


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good afternoon creampuffs ! (I'm assuming it's afternoon for for of you as it's night time for me...) Here is chapter 5, I hope it'll help you get over what was most definitly a dream in yesterday's episode... Also thank you soooo much for the support it measn the world !! cheers ! :D

Perry slowly made her way through the familiar streets. She had been living in Graz for a long while now, longer than she could remember. Her family had moved here from Ireland when she had been but a babe, though she could remember glimpses from the Eire, it had left but impressions and small pangs of nostalgia in her chest. She never felt closer to her homeland than in those moments. Walking under a gentle drizzle, fluttering against her cheeks, mingling to her drying tears.

 She bit her lips as she held a countless sob. She had promised herself she had shed the last of her tears on the matter. Yet the look of pure grief Lafontaine had given her had eradicated any pretence of promises. The young red-head had ushered her out of the hospital before she had had time to ask any more questions. But the shudder she had felt run through them when she had gently held their defeated form had sapped her of any strength.

  So here she was, haphazardly making her way through those streets she knew like the back of her hand. She had known instantly where to go when Lafontaine had given her the address, a small house complex, right in front of the Schlosberg Park, it took her thirsty minutes to find it though, as she idly walked through the light rain. It sparked in the artificial light of the street lamps, falling and flickering noiselessly around her. She shivered, hugging herself, the exhaustion she felt seeping through her bone along with the bitter cold of the late September night. She eventually managed to make it to the ridiculously heavy looking fence door. She exhaled quickly and pushed it open as the turned the key. Her eyes fell on a small flight of stairs, flanked by two sturdy railings, she looked down as she felt a few bumps underneath her feet as she approached the first step.

 Her throat closed up as she realised this was probably to warn the eleven year old girl living here of the incoming steps ahead. She slowly glanced up and saw the top step decorated with the same bumps. Mr. Hollis had actually gone as far as to carve a delicate pattern with the bumps, creating something akin to rolling waves. The red head stared at them or a minute, but refused to let her tears yet again overwhelm her. Mr. Hollis needed anything but a crying mess right now. She stepped over the wave, and climbed up the stairs before sliding the overly complicated key in the overly protective door. Mr.Hollis appeared nearly immediately at the sound of the opening door. A warm smile flooded his features as soon as he recognised the young governess:

_Perry ! Come in, come in, you poor thing you're soaked to the bone !”

She was quickly ushered in, as Mr. Hollis grabbed her coat and hung it to dry on the rack:

_ Why don't you go to Laf's room and grab something to change, I'm going to make some cocoa” She looked at him hesitatingly, “Oh right of course, Laf's room in the one underneath the stairs right to your left when you go into the living room, and your room is upstairs, first door to your right,”

He smiled brightly, she walked to the kitchen, following him. The young governess intently gazed at her feet, averting her eyes from the older man’s curious features. She internally thanked him for not pushing the conversation, and simply waiting next to her, for her to be ready. The kindness shinning in her hazel eyes was the last straw on her beat-up heart. She felt treacherous tears slide on her cheeks, in spite of her best efforts:

_Perry…”

She shook her head widely, biting her lip to the blood, her eyes tightly shut. A steaming mug appeared in her line of vision as she tentatively opened her eyes, a beloved smell alerting her to the hot chocolate presented to her. Mr. Hollis aimed a gentle smirk at her. She nodded in appreciation as she clasped her slightly shaking hands around the mug, the heat traveling from the tip of her fingers, through her arms, to her aching chest. She took a sip, her eyes closed as she leaned against the kitchen island. She opened her eyes, thoughtful. The ache in her chest slowly subsiding, her hands steadying, her throat relaxing as Mr. Hollis enveloped her in the most soothing silence she had ever experienced. She exhaled slowly, revelling in the quiet that reigned in the warm house. She looked up at the man in front of her, he simply smiled, taking a sip of his own cocoa, the picture of tranquil strength. It suddenly dawned on her that this was not a man to be pitied, or treaded with carefully. He was not to be judged or seen through the traumatic events that littered his life. Because it was obvious, to whomever spent some time with Mark Hollis, that this was a man who had never once indulged in self-pity, this was a man who had never shied away from his problems, who faced everything head on with unyielding kindness and force. Perry felt her chest swell with ineffable respect, and the undeniable affection she had fluttering beneath her ribs for the entire family the second she had met them.

Upon arriving she had felt the nearly uncontrollable urge to apologise for intruding, for adding to the burden of the man standing in front of her. But looking back at his calm and caring eyes, she realised with a smile that she apologising for that would probably come off more as an offense than anything else:

_Chocolate always helps,”

He quipped with an easy grin, she started lightly at the sudden deep voice, but laughed, his own grin widening by tenfold as he saw the young woman finally relax. Her laugh died in a sigh, a tired smile still pulling at her lips:

_Thank you, Mark,”

_Don’t mention it, kid”

He winked before taking another sip. She giggled widely, because he had obviously dipped his lips deeply enough to make a moustache on purpose. Her hilarity doubled at the proud grin he aimed her way before frowning playfully, repeatedly asking her if something was the matter as she cackled madly, nearly dropping her mug as huffed dramatically and took another sip, increasing his moustache.

They kept monkeying around till they finished their mugs. Mr.Hollis playfully swatted her fingers away as she tried to wash the two mugs. He cut her before she could protest:

_I’m all for you doing the dishes Perry believe me, but you’re still drenched” She pouted as he ruffled her curls, “So you go take a shower, change, and then you can clean up the entire house if you please”

He sighed deeply as he saw her entire features light up before she dashed to Laf’s bedroom. So that made for what, five kids between the age of six to twenty-four ? Not bad Hollis, not bad…

 

Between the moment she had stepped through the threshold, to the time Lafontaine arrived the next morning with William, Perry had had time to, indeed, clean and re-organise the entire house, an intricate colour coded (the woman loved her colours) guide hanging proudly on the dash board next to the front door. The scientist stared at it, bemused, before a mope of curls snapped them out of their bubble. They were going to have a talk with Perry about invasion of personal space… Not that they minded all that much… For science purposes. Obviously.

The fire-kissed governess quickly let go though, when she felt an extra weight latch onto her leg. The shy smile she aimed at Lafontaine before picking up William though, did not go unnoticed:

_Hey little man ! Oh I missed you so much !”

She cooed as she squeezed a delighted William to her chest, if the joyous giggling was any indication. Perry let the small boy down as Mr.Hollis arrived in the hall:

_Hi there little guy !” Mr.Hollis grinned as William shyly made his was to him, he squatted in front of the six-year old:

_Hello Mr.Hollis,”

William mumbled, red as a tomato. The older man couldn’t help but chuckle as he stood up, William running back to Perry’s legs, half hiding behind them:

_Any news for Carmilla ?”

The attorney asked, his voice suddenly serious. Perry turned around to Lafontaine, her bottom lip caught nervously between her teeth:

_Yeah, she’s put on two pounds since she got to the hospital, they want to keep her for “observation” for a few more days, a week at most, till she at least makes it from critically emaciated to under weighted,” They informed darkly, their arms crossed on their chest as they looked at the ground, “If I ever get my hands on that woman I’ll-”

_Do nothing,”Mr.Hollis deep staccato cut right through their rent, “We have a perfectly adequate justice system to take care of her, there is no need to give her ground for dragging this out with attempted murder,”

Lafontaine pouted, before a devilish smirk pulled at their lips:

_you know I could make it look like a total accident…”

_Lafontaine !” Perry chided, covering William’s ears,” You are not plotting anyone’s murder”

She hissed, her eyes wide:

_But no one would notice I-”

_ No one would notice ? Are you out of your mind ?”

_I could totally clean it up perfectly ?”

_Clean up an accident ?? Do you know nothing-”

_Children !” the older man chuckled, as the two turned around to him, a slight tinge of pink clearly visible on both their faces, “No one is planning or cleaning up anyone else’s murder,” He eyed them pointedly, “Especially not in front of the town District Attorney ?”. They had both the decency to look mildly guilty as Perry released William’s ears, who had been looking back and forth between the two red-heads, trying to decipher the conversation, “Now, William,” The boy jumped as he heard his name, “What do you say we go check out your room, and pick out the colour for the walls, yeah?”

The boy’s eyes widened to a comical size before an equally wide grin split his face. He made to go toward Mr.Hollis before looking back at Perry:

_Go munchkin, we’ll be right there,”

He grinned back at her and ran toward Mr.Hollis, who eagerly showed him the way:

_So…”,Perry snapped around at the voice, only to find Lafontaine smirking at her, “I see someone helped themselves to my closet,”

It was Perry’s eyes turn to widen to a comical size as she started apologising profusely to the other read-head, whose smirk quickly dissolved in full blown laughter as they saw Perry struggling to apologise enough:

_It’s fine, Per, I was just messing with you,”

They prayed the governess wouldn’t notice the slip of their tongue on her name. But all they saw was the other girl deflate with relief, before they found themselves being playfully swatted on their shoulder. Perry sighed though, all playfulness gone as her sea green eyes turned sad:

_ I won’t be allowed to access my room for another week, so I’m afraid I’m going to have to live off of your ridiculously vast collection of flannels for now,”

Lafontaine chuckled lightly as they rubbed the back of their neck. They did have they fair share of flannels…:

_Alright then, let’s go get my closet sorted out, see what fits you or not,”

Perry couldn’t help the tug at her chest at how incredibly kind those two were. She quickly dismissed it though, it hadn’t taken a genius to figure out that her gratefulness only served to make the scientist squirm uncomfortably. So they rummaged through their closet, finding a couple of articles that fit the fire-kissed governess, more than enough to last her till she was allowed to move her things out of her room, and find a flat somewhere… And a job… God a job…:

_Something wrong ?”

Perry was snapped out of her realisation by the question, Lafontaine aiming a curious look at her:

_It just occurred to me that I probably didn’t have a job anymore…”

Laf barked out a laugh as they folded the last of the clothes they’d be landing to the other red-head:

_Oh please no, do use my terrible predicament as mocking material !”

Lafontaine quickly sobered up but kept an infuriating grin plastered on their face:

_Sorry Per, from what I know from you, it just seems kind of impossible that you haven’t pulled out an alphabet size number of plans yet…”

_Oh no I do, don’t worry,” she snorted, “I always a couple of jobs lining up, just in case well… Something like that happens”

Lafontaine burst out laughing again as they made their way to the living room:

_Of course you do,”

_Please who do you think I am,”

The fire-kissed woman was quick to lose her fight against her grin as Lafontaine’s laugh resonated in the corridor:

_Unbelievable,”

They shook their head, still smiling as they laid Perry’s pyjamas on the couch, where the governess had previously installed sheets, pillows and a blanket:

_You know you could take my room if you-”

_No.” Lafontaine looked up at the other red head, only half surprised. Perry’s eyes softened at she caught the scientist’s perplexed gaze, “You’re already doing more for me than what is appropriate to accept, and I appreciate it to no ends,” She assured before the other person had a chance to protest, “You cannot ask me to take your bed and leave you on the couch, I will have none of it Lafontaine !”

The scientist smirked as they dropped the subject, she was clearly not going to budge on that matter:

_Alright then, let’s see what the boys are up to,”

_Good ! Let me just grab the brownies,”

_You made brownies ??”

_Of course I made brownies,”

She rolled her eyes with a smile as Lafontaine shook their head, astound. They spent the whole day discovering the house, getting to know one another, and discussing what colours would be appropriate for William’s room (It was settled that baby blue would be perfect)

Dusk set its navy hand on the sky much faster than any of them could anticipate. Yawning, droopy eyed William was amongst their first clues. Perry chuckled as she felt the tiny head fall limply on her shoulder:

_What time is it ?”

_Hum… 9:20 PM why ?”

Perry looked at Mark with a horrified face:

_It’s nearly forty minutes passed William’s bed time !”

She hissed, as the other two sniggered. The governess shook her head dejectedly as she gently lifted William off the sofa. She threw venomous gaze at the two other children before carefully climbing the stairs...

 

 The nurse welcomed them the next morning with a promising grin:

_Dr. Keiser said that Carmilla has been putting on some good weight, if she keeps going this way, she should be released in a few days, provided she follows a strict diet, and bi-monthly check-ups until she’s back at a normal, constant weight,” Relief emptied Perry’s lungs as she grabbed for Lafontaine’s hand out of reflex, a soft squeeze and warm pressure brought her back to reality as the scientist gently smiled at her. The nurse’s grave voice pierced through their bubble like a sharp needle, “We’ve tried holding it back as much as we could, but police officers would like to question her about her life with that woman,” The nurse spat the last word with a spite and anger that didn’t fit her delicate features, as she led the governess and the scientist to Carmilla’s room, “That poor child has been through enough already without adding a police investigation on top of it…”

Lafontaine gave Perry a reassuring smile and squeeze before turning to the young brooding nurse:

_It’s really kind of you to worry about her, but we have some rather… Well placed friends, so we should be able to avoid her most of the pressure, besides it should be a few months before we actually make it to anything resembling a trial…”

The small nurse beamed up at them, relief obvious on her face. It warmed Perry’s heart that people around here seemed to care so deeply about the tiny girl. It was a nice change…

The governess was only mildly surprised when they found Carmilla, curled up in a loveseat, book laying forgotten on her lap as she slept soundly. The two redheads grinned at each other as Perry knelt before the seat, and ran a soft hand in the small girl’s curls:

_Carm,” She whispered, a loving smile adorning her lips, “Carm wake up, sweetie”

There was a blissful second as the girl’s eyes fluttered open, before she violently wrenched back, a strangled shriek escaping her mouth, features twisted in horror for a second:

_Hey, hey, hey, sweetie, darling ? It’s just me, calm down, sshhh….”

Perry’s stark blue eyes filled with tears as the girl slowly recognised her, the terror in her eyes never quite leaving as she inched back in her seat:

_Perry ? I’m so sorry, I thought it was mama…”

The governess deftly pulled her to her chest, trying to ignore the way the girl still shook like a leaf in her arms. She pulled back after a minute, her arms still secured around the tiny brunette:

_Carmilla ? Look at me,” Her voice was firm, yet as caressing as the warmest embrace, “You don’t _ever_ need to apologise for that, ok ?”

The brunette hesitated for a second, before meekly nodding. She started fidgeting in her seat, tightly gripping her hands. It suddenly occurred to Perry that she wasn’t really used to affectionate touches. A brand new wave of anger ran through her as she went to pull back. But Carmilla’s fist closed on her sleeve, barely noticeable, her eyes trained on her hands, her cheeks flaming red, the single most adorable shy pout pursing her lips as she played with the material in her hands, ever so slightly pulling the governess to her. It clicked in Perry’s head that this was the girl’s way of asking for a hug… She obliged with a small chuckled, a soft sigh escaping the brunette as she locked her arms around her governess. The redhead effortlessly lifted her and made her way to the bed:

_Hey munchkin,” The brunette turned her head to the voice, and grinned as she noticed Lafontaine, still leaning on the door, “Do I get a hug too ?”

Perry giggled as the small girl turned carmine again, and shrugged, before disappearing in the scientist’s arms. She gently closed her hand on their shirt, and closed her eyes. Lafontaine pulled back, ruffling the brunette’s curls as they went to sit on the armchair next to the bed, her trademark grin splitting their face. Carmilla’s hands flew to her hair, desperate to smooth it out, as she viciously glared at the scientist:

_Lafontaine,”

Perry’s admonishment was of poor effect as she tried (and failed) to hold back her laugh at the utterly outraged look the eleven years old wore. Laf easily beamed at the redhead, before pulling their tongue at the brunette, who pulled it right back, before crossing her arms on her chest, pouting, much to the two adults’ hilarity. Which only grew as the young girl started huffing and grumbling, turning around in her bed, effectively giving the two redhead the cold shoulder:

_Oh come on sweetheart,” Perry reached out with a laugh, sprawling halfway across the bed. Carmilla eventually relented at the incessant pokes, squirming away from the tickling fingers, turning around as she tried to school her features in a disapproving scowl, “We actually have some good news for you darling,”

Any idea about looking sullen suddenly disappeared as the brunette’s features lit up with joy:

_ Dr. Keiser said they should be able to release you pretty soon !”

The young girl squealed with joy as she hurled herself toward Perry, wrapping her arms around her neck, she pulled out just as quickly with a blush, her mirth from a second ago nowhere to be seen as she uneasily stared at her hands. Perry sighed as she sat back on her seat, her heart clenching painfully in her chest. They’d have to work on that, too… Lafontaine glanced at the two before quietly sighing. Their voice cut through the thick silence, piercing it like a blade:

_ The nurse said that if you keep it up, they might allow you back home within two or three days,”Carmilla’s head snapped back up at the mention of ‘home’, her obsidian eyes filling up with fear. Lafontaine’s eyes widened as they realised their mistake, “No ,no, no you’re not going back to the orphanage, Mark, hum- Mr.Hollis, is in the process of adopting you and your brother !”

The young girl peered at the scientist, her eyes searching for any sort of joke or humour. She found none. Her whole face slackened as she turned to her governess for confirmation. She found nothing but a soft, loving smile answering her silent plea:

_Yeah sweetie,” Perry’s smile widened, “You’re getting a real family !”

Tears rolled on her cheeks before she could do anything to stop them, she meekly nodded, and tried to dry her cheeks, but a fresh batch only replaced them. She burst in tears, laughing, as the realisation dawned on her, two pair of arms wrapping tightly around her.

She was getting a home. A real Home…  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay for our favourite siblings :D Also I'm having a real blast writing Laferry so you cupcakes might see a lot of them, hope you don't mind ;) seeyall soon :D


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 3333 words, I feel like I'm only getting half the message... Tell me what you think ! :D

Carmilla couldn’t help the anxious pangs churning in her stomach as she walked hand in hand with Perry toward her new house.

  She had spent a few more days in the hospital before Mr. Hollis had finally managed to wrestle her out of the death grip the nurses had had on her, intent on keeping her for as long as they could. She was begrudgingly released after promising numerous times to bring her to the hospital at least twice a month, and follow the strict diet that had been elaborated for the small girl to encourage her late growth without overwhelming her frail body.

Dr. Keiser had told her she had put on two kilos in a week, but she could still feel her every bones shifting and peaking every time she moved, her prominent cheek bones made even more obvious by her hollow cheeks, her still ashen complexion, her onyx eyes only enhancing the dark circles around her eyes, in spite of the average of fourteen hours of sleep she got on a daily basis.

Perry often joked she slept nearly as much a little cat, curled up in her mountains of pillows, practically purring (though the small brunette vehemently denied the last part)

She nervously ran her hand along the jagged edges of her spine, pretending to be scratching the stretched skin thinly covering them. But Perry noticed.

Perry noticed all.

She stopped and knelt before her, her hands snugly hugging nearly her entire rib cage:

_ You have nothing to worry about dear, you’ll soon have so much extra fat and muscle you won’t even know what to do with it,”

A kind smile pulled at her lips as she gently squeezed her hands around Carmilla. The girl kept her eyes trained to the ground as she simply nodded, before walking again, careful to match up Perry’s pace perfectly, never looking up. The ex-governess sighed as she glanced at the girl next to her, quietly seething at that woman who had singlehandedly managed to nearly break the girl… She shook her head as they reached Lafontaine waiting for them a bit further up the road.

They finished the hike from the hospital to the house in silence, all three of them lost in their thoughts.

But the more they approached the house, the more trouble the small girl had ignoring the fear devouring her insides. What if they didn’t like her. What if she didn’t fit, or didn’t get along with the daughter of Mr.Hollis. What if they threw her out, back to the orphanage…

Perry had explained to her that the orphanage had been closed, but the girl couldn’t help but wake up in tears every night, the image of that cruel curl in her lips right before maman hit branded behind her eyelids:

_We’re here darling,”

The tiny girl jumped practically three feet in the air when she felt a gentle hand smooth her curls. She was quick to school her features as she saw Perry’s twist in hurt and sorrow. She needed to control herself, Perry deserved more than her jumping every time someone touched her, she needed to be better, she needed to be good, for her new family.

She passed the ridiculously heavy fence door looking straight ahead, and practically tripped as she felt strange bumps underneath the sole of her cheap shoes. She looked down, and was greeted with an odd sight. Wave shaped bumps preceding and following the stairs. She cocked her head to the side, curiously glancing back at Perry and Lafontaine. They gave her a small, sad smile, before thrusting their head to the door, which she saw being yanked open in the corner of her eye.

 She snapped her head around, and crossed eyes with her brother. Whom she had not seen in a week and a half. The grin that overtook her features felt too big for her face as her shrieking brother tumbled down the small flight of stairs right into her arms:

_CARMIAAA !!!”

She caught him, giggling with joy, before pulling back with a smirk:

_What happened to you Willy Boy, you didn’t get soft on me while I was gone, did you ?”

The mirth on her brother’s face immediately disappeared as he pounded his tiny fist in her chest:

_AM NOT !’

_Are too !” She grinned, before faking an surprised gasp, “My god did you get smaller too ?”

_AM NOOOT !”

He stomped her feet to the ground before launching on his sister, widely swinging his fists as she giggled merrily, spurred on in her teasing by the two red-heads cackling:

_Children !” The whole garden fell silent at the deep voice that boomed in. Mr.Hollis was grinning though, “How about we hold up on the destruction of my precious garden for another day, yeah ?”

The two siblings turned toward him, blushing, only exchanging slight nudges to the side as Mr. Hollis made his way down:

_Hi Carmilla, how’re you feeling ?”, Her blush deepened as she shrugged a shoulder. She hissed at William as he poked her side again with a barely restrained grin. Mr. Hollis’s amused smile quickly cooled her attitude, “Well come in come in family, let us discover that humongous house of ours !”

His deep voice rumbled through Carmilla like a small earth quake. It made her feel oddly safe as she walked up the stairs, her small frame practically disappearing in Mr.Hollis’s immense shadow, swallowing her like a warm embrace. She almost bumped into him as he abruptly came to a halt in the living room and turned around. He winked at her as she scrambled back, sending another wave of warmth to her cheeks, but then his smile grew stern:

_Sit down you two, I’d like to have a word,” Worry overwhelmed the tiny brunette for a second, in spite of the warm tone and soft voice, that somehow still managed to rumble through her small frame. He sighed, and suddenly looked incredibly weary. It tugged at the young girl’s heart. She had to quell the urged to reach out to the gruff looking man kneeling in front of them as they sat on the couch, her hand clenching Will’s instead,

“It’s about my daughter,” Carmilla allowed for a second of relief before she schooled her features again. This looked serious. Mr. Hollis sighed,

“As you may have noticed, the house is littered with small lines of bumps on the ground, in front of the stairs, each doors, between sections of the house etc., amongst other kinds of arrangements.”

The brunette frowned, wondering what it had to do with Mr.Hollis’s daughter. She vaguely recalled her name starting with an L. Lauren, Lory, Laurel- “My daughter, Laura”

Ah. Almost.

“She’s at my parent’s house right now, till you’ve both adapted to the new environment,”

It warmed her heart hat Mr.Hollis had actually thought of giving them a moment to find their bearings in relative peace,

“Anyway she was in an accident with her mum, my wife, about a year ago,”

Camilla’s attention snapped back to the man in front of her the second his words registered in her ears,

“My wife didn’t make it,” To his credit his voice barely wavered as he pushed through, “and Laura lost her eyesight.”

Her mouth fell open slightly in shock. So _this_ was why he was looking for a sibling…

“And I wanted to warn you first, because she’s… Not used to it yet, so she’s going to need all the help she can get…”

His sentence died in a heavy silence, broken only by the birds still chirping outside, and the slight rustle of shifting fabric as William got to his feet and encircled his arms around Mr.Hollis’s neck quietly. Carmilla was quick to join him, her arm going over her brother as she buried her nose in Mr.Hollis’s neck. The attorney chuckled slight as he closed his strong arms around the two frail bodies, swallowing back his tears at the gesture. Simple, yet so significant.

More than any words anyone could have offered.

Carmilla was the first to pull away, her pale cheeks flaming red as she sat back on the couch, her eyes shyly casted down. William turned to her, his arm still around the older man, his left thumb tucked in his mouth. Mr.Hollis rose to his feet, the small boy still in his arms as if it was the most natural thing in the world, William not even flinching as his hand locked on the fabric of the attorney’s shirt. Mr.Hollis turned to Carmilla with a smile, his hand open toward her:

_How bout I give you the grand tour yeah ?”

She acquiesced with a shrug, before following along, Perry happily stepping in to explain (boast about) her impeccable organisation, deftly taking over the tour, showing Carmilla her room, which she’d share with Laura till Perry got back on her feet, then she’d get that room, across the corridor.

Her very own room…

But for now she stepped into Laura’s room, and felt like she had stepped in another universe. The walls were blank.

No paintings, no posters. No decoration of any kind.

Just the light pink wall, painfully bare save for some lighter patches, where she guessed had hung some sort of decoration. There weren’t even any pictures, anything indicating someone lived here, let alone an eleven year old girl…

The only flash of colour was a yellow pillow, idly resting on the white sheets like a bad joke the rest of the empty room.  Against the opposite wall was her bed, the exact same, expect her pillow, and sheets, were mauve. She frowned, and looked up at Perry. She winked, and it downed on her that this wasn’t random.

Mr.Hollis had gone as far as to ask Perry her favourite colour, and bought her a matching set.

She blushed as she ran her finger on the lilac pillow, instantly falling in love with it. Her necklace itched against the bare skin of her sternum, but for the first time in a long while it felt like the engraved, threadbare words carried some sort of truth to them:

_Mark said we were going to Ikea tomorrow, as it’s Saturday and he isn’t working, to get you what you need or what you’d like to have to complete your room, then we’re going to get you a new closet,”

The ex-governess grinned as she ran her hand in the soft curls, Carmilla looked back up at her, seemingly baffled by the concept. She giggled as she pushed the young brunette toward the bathroom:

_Come on, off with you, it’s almost seven, dinner will be ready soon,”

The small girl nodded and started walking away, before turning around hesitatingly. Perry cocked her head to the side, waiting for the brunette to collect her ideas. She eventually did, her cheeks carmine:

_What are we eating tonight ?”

She murmured, twisting her hands awkwardly. Perry laughed again, shaking her head:

_You don’t have to be shy about asking questions sweetie, and we’re eating steak and chips,” Carmilla’s eyes lit up at the mention of meat. She loved meat. The rarer the better. She hadn’t had some often though, and it was usually far too cooked for her taste. The red head chuckled, reading her mind, “I’ll make yours as rare as possible,”

She winked and walked away, leaving the young girl to grin and a giggle and dash to the bathroom, grabbing her lilac and purple towels. She drew a bath. Because she simply couldn’t help it. They’d never had the luxury back at the orphanage, so she wasn’t about to pass on the occasion. Punishment be damned, idly floating in scalding water was worth it.

She shrieked in delight as she plunged in the nearly overflowing bath. And immersed herself completely.

She closed her eyes, pinching her nose, and stayed there for as long as she could, relishing the silence, the quiet. She sighed, and grinned, as she was swarmed with bubbles. She poked her nose out just long enough to take a deep breath, and dunked under again, she blew out all her breath, and giggled again. She sat in the middle of the tub, with her dark hair coating her face. She playfully pouted for a second before dunking her head back again, effectively bringing her tresses behind her back. They barely reached her shoulders, even soaked. Maybe she’d get to grow them out now. Not much, but she’d like for them to at least go to her shoulder blades. Yeah shoulder blades was good.

She kept musing about the perfect hair length till she heard Perry call for dinner.

Call for steaks.

She dove out of her bath, quickly emptying it before throwing on the yellow pyjamas Mr.Hollis had given her, from his daughter’s closet. She jumped down the stairs nearly breaking her neck, her hands flailing to keep her up right, and eventually made it down the stairs, the smell of cooking meat assaulting her nose in the most delicious way.

She grinned and her way to the kitchen, only to be greeted by the back of a girl, about her age, thick, honey blonde hair cascading down her back all the way to her hips. She gasped. This was the kind of hair she wanted…

Everyone turned around at her soft exclamation, including whom she guessed was Laura, her wonderful mane following the movement. The air caught in her throat again, as she gazed at the girl’s face. Or what was left of it…

Her right eye simply wasn’t there. Instead, an angry, purple scar marred the side of her face, forever closing the non-existent eyelid. The left eye, however, was the one detail she fell into, head first, like in a foggy daze of pupil-less milky blue, the colours seemingly shifting in her eye like a nebulous cloud in the midst of void. Like a bright iridescent, new born stars she had heard of once in those documentaries mama had liked to play to the children once a week:

_What are you staring at, you room stealer ?”

And the spell broke. The misty, milky spell burst as the sharp, aggressive voice cut through the silence that had hung in the air. There were a few gasp and a reprimanding “Laura!”, but the girl ignored them all, her attention entirely on the new comer. The young brunette recoiled, as if burnt by the voice and the hatred imprinted in the girl’s one eye, striking her down, or rather striking the wall next to her down as she glared somewhere passes her left shoulder:

_Well it certainly isn’t your charm and good manners !”  

The retort fell out of her mouth before she could think twice about it as she angled her chin toward the other girl, her jaw set firmly in place. She wasn’t about to let some brat treat her like muck:

_Carmilla!”

She blenched at the curt tone, her previous attitude but a distant memory:

_Sorry,” she murmured as she made her way to the table. She stopped next to Laura still looking down, and took in her damaged profile, “And for the record I was looking at your hair,” She murmured under her breath, so that only the little blonde could hear her. She paused for a second, before blushing slightly, “You have very pretty hair…”

She all but ran to her seat, her eyes firmly cast to the ground. A heavy silence rang in the room as Laura slowly made her way to her seat, next to Carmilla, and sat, hands on her knees:

_Thank you,”

The brunette started a bit at the soft voice, she almost doubted she had heard it, but the small tinge of red on the blonde’s cheeks was unmistakable. A small smile grew on her face. She was quick to school it though, and focused on her meat.

As is turns out, as she learnt later on during dinner, Laura hadn’t been able to stay the weekend at her grandparent’s house as planned, as her grandmother had fallen slightly ill, and the two hadn’t felt comfortable caring for the injured child with one of them down. The young blonde sat through the supper mostly silent, only giving here and there a few clipped answers when asked about her week in the country side. She eventually snapped, her hand clenching painfully around her knife:

_I really didn’t see much you know ?” Carmilla winced again, as the sharp voice pricked in her ears, cutting in her chest. The small girl slowly deflated, her eye locked somewhere on her hands, “May I be excused,” She didn’t wait for the answer, and carefully got up. Carmilla’s hand shot out in reflex when she saw the tiny blond stumble in her chair, deftly grabbing her forearm before she could fall. But the blonde quickly jerked it away, “I don’t need help,”

She spat, and walked away, bumping in every surfaces possible. The small brunette looked around, but saw nothing but sad, uncomfortable faces. She sighed and stood up, slipping her arm under Laura’s elbow in the nick of time, as the blonde nearly sprawled on the carpet. She tried bucking Carmilla off the second she felt contact, but the brunette held on tight:

_I haven’t asked you for anything !”

_Well I’m not offering, grumpy pants,”

She jutted her chin forward, her hand secured around the blonde’s arm. The small girl narrowed her eye, but turned away, her features softening to only mild despair. Carmilla rose an eyebrow as Laura started walking away:

_That’s toward the kitchen,”

She drawled, almost laughing. The small blonde whipped around, fuming:

_I knew that !!”

_Uhu…”, She couldn’t help it, Laura just looked adorable, with that positively angry kitten look, “That bunched up little face you make when you’re angry is hilarious, buttercup,”

_I’m not a buttercup,”

But she bunched her mouth even more, her cheeks a bright shade of vermillion, and Carmilla snorted again, she simply couldn’t help it. She ever so lightly tugged on the blonde’s hand, as hers had slid when Laura had pulled away, pulling her toward the stairs :

_Come on,” she chuckled, as Laura begrudgingly followed her, her hand tightening on her hold as they started moving, “So do you ever say anything else than angry answers ?”

_Of course I do !”

_Uhu…”

_I do ! I’m super nice !”

_Really ? Cuz that's reeeaaally not the impression I’m getting,”

They kept bantering back and forth, as they climbed up the stairs, Carmilla slipping here and there a few choice words to help the blonde up, almost seamlessly. She sighed deeply as she listened to the tiny blonde ramble in detail about just how polite and delightful she could be, a soft smile never leaving her face. She felt free, at ease. Because she didn’t need to hide anything. The other girl couldn’t’ see her, couldn’t spot the softness of her features, she gave her something she’d never had, the luxury to simply be, without having to conceal anything…

They quickly disappeared up the stairs, leaving the rest of the family to sit in silence. Perry took it in, unsure as to how to react to the scene that had just unfolded, or to the sound of the two girls still bickering. She turned to Lafontaine, and found them gazing at Mr. Hollis, whose eyes were trained on the spot the girls had just vacated.

A smile gently stretched his lips as the sound of the girls arguing in the stairs drowned in the distance. Perry frowned. This hadn’t exactly been the reaction she had expected from the two eleven year old leaving the table uninvited and fighting. Mr. Hollis turned her way, his smile growing tenfold:

_I hadn’t seen Laura react that much since the accident…”

A mirthful giggle and a shriek rang through the first floor…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah Laura wasn't supposed to come along quite so quickly buuuuuut, yeah my hand got away with me. Fair warning this might happen a lot.... Also I'm shifting to one update a week, it may not me super precise, but I promise on my honour that you my fellow creampuffs will have your chapters, should it be the last thing I do !!(ok this is getting slightly over dramatic....) Cheers ! :D


	7. chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All right fine, I've completely given up any pretence of having an update schedule, I will only promise this, it will take at least four days, at most a week.   
> Also I would like to apologise, this is the weakest chapter so far, but Lady inspiration has been a cruel mistress whose benevolence I have not felt in a long while....   
> and at last THANK YOU SO MUCH for all the support it really means the world to me :DD   
> anyway enjoy, tell we your thoughts, hopes and dreams ;)

_What’s wrong with you ?”

The gruff voice cut through Carmilla’s musings.

She had been doing little but toss and turn in her bed ever since the adults (Perry) had announced bedtime, about four hours ago:

_I can’t sleep,”

_You don’t say,”

Laura answered back to back, her high-pitched voice dripping with sarcasm. The brunette ticked at the tone:

_Why d’you even care ?”

The voice cut through the silence of the night like a knife:

_I don’t,” Carmilla winced, of course she didn’t. “But you’re keeping me from sleeping so I might as well ask,”

The raven haired girl turned her head to the side, her obsidian orbs travelling across Laura’s expressionless face, but she could decipher the slight pout in the sliver of moon light dusting her face. She might look annoyed, but her voice had been gentle. Laura shifted toward her, her eye somewhere near her belly, softer that she’d ever seen it:

_So, what’s wrong ?”

She debated for a second ignoring the blonde and try to find sleep on her own, but something on the smaller girl’s face coaxed her open. She rolled to her side, curling in her tiny violet pillow:

_I’m scared…”

She felt like bursting the second the words passed her lips, as she trained her eyes on the wall in front of her, stubbornly looking at anything else but the tiny blonde. Laura frowned, and rolled to her side as well:

_What could you possibly be scared of ?”

There was no aggression in her voice, only sheer astonishment. The other girl had everything. Two functioning eyes, an army of people who loved her, her whole life ahead of her. Carmilla swallowed thickly, tightening her hold on her pillow:

_I’m scared of losing everything, because I don’t deserve it…”

There was a moment of silence, then Laura sat up, and carefully got to her feet. Carmilla stared at her in awe:

_What are you doing you’re-”

She was cut as Laura crossed the room, and reached for the bed. The brunette didn’t move a muscle, terrified her slightest movement might disrupt Laura’s precarious balance. The blonde sat on the edge of the mattress, and stayed still for a moment, finding her bearings, before sliding her hand on the sheets, all the way to Carmilla’s face. She let her hand gently touch the cold cheek for a second, before rising it and slapping it back down on the crown on the brunette’s head. Carmilla gasped, more out of surprise than pain, and gawked up at this blind girl, sitting on her bed, looking down right pissed:

_You’re an idiot,” The blonde stammered, implacable, “You’ve got two eyes, two legs, two arms, two lungs,” Carmilla’s eyes widened impossibly as she stared in silence, transfixed. Laura’s expression softened, her eye on the brunette’s pillow, “You’ve got nothing to lose,” Her face suddenly shone with immense sadness, “Just everything for the taking,”

She trudged back to her bed before Carmilla had had a chance to respond, and burrowed in her blankets, obviously cutting short the conversation. It took the brunette a second to comprehend what had just occurred, it almost felt like a dream, but she could still feel the top of her head smarting slightly where Laura had smacked her.

She didn’t drift off till she heard Laura’s soft snores.  

 

***

 

_Good morning girl ! And isn’t it a fantastic day to go shopping ?”

_No.”

Was what Perry managed to decipher from the perfect chorus answering her query as she opened the door to Laura and Carmilla’s room, both of whom had disappeared under a mountain of blankets and pillows. All she could decipher from each bed were a few raven and golden locks, and a small hand curled into the fabric of lilac pillow on the brunette’s side. The fire-kissed governess chuckled as she made her way to the window nook and, with a wicked smile, yanked the thick curtains opened:

_Noooooooo !”

A soul crushing moan resounded in the room as Carmilla burrowed even further in her blankets:

_what happened ?”

Emanated from the blonde’s cushiony mound, in a raspy groan:

_She opened the curtains…”

_Muhaha,”

Laura’s silhouette rose from the blanket, as she aimed a tiny snarky laugh in Carmilla’s direction:

_Shut up,”

The brunette practically growled as the blankets shifted. The ex-governess couldn’t help but laugh at the exchange, the two girls were just too cute:

_Ok, well when you two will be done bickering, breakfast is ready downstairs, and we’ll be living in about an hour,”

Carmilla finally rose from her den, staring haphazardly in front of her, her dark curls spiking every which way. Perry snorted as she exited the room, closing the door behind her.

With a heartfelt grunt, Carmilla collapsed back into her bed, an arm thrown across her face:

_I wouldn’t do that if I were you,”

_Do what ?”

_Lay back into your warm inviting bed,” the blonde snorted slightly as she extracted herself from her own bed, “You’ll never make it out,”

The older girl frowned slightly, sitting up nonetheless:

_How did you know I had ?”

The younger girl turned around to her, a small secretive smile playing on her lips:

_I heard you,”

_You _heard_ me ?”, Carmilla’s interest was piqued as she trained her obsidian orbs on the flaxen-haired girl, currently stumbling around the room, looking for god knows what, “And that’s the bookcase by the way,”

_I knew that !”

Laura whipped around, aiming a deadly glare at the door, about a meter away from her target

_I’m over there,” The older girl drawled, smirking, “And what do you mean you heard me ?”

Laura groaned as she finally managed to find her cupboard:

_It doesn’t really take a genius to figured it out,” She pointed to her eye with an irritated frown, “I can’t exactly see much of anything anymore, so my brain is adapting by strengthening my other senses,”

Carmilla’s eyebrows shot up to her hairline, she hadn’t even thought of that. Huh…:

_That’s kind of awesome,”

A light flush dusted the flaxen-haired girl as she padded for the handle of her wardrobe. She grinned as she found it, and yanked it open, practically tearing the drawer out of its socket. Carmilla snorted, Laura turned around, a look of pure innocence on her face, which only served to further the brunette’s amusement:

_What ?”

Her voice was light and open, as the blonde cocked her head to the side:

_Nothing,”

The brunette chuckled, Laura pursed her lips, frowning:

_What !” She pouted, honest to god pouted, crossing her arms on her chest. The older girl melted on the spot, and prayed Laura couldn’t hear her turn in a puddle on the ground:

_You just practically ripped that poor drawer out of the wardrobe, is all…”

_Oh…” She turned to the wardrobe, before spinning back toward the general area of Carmilla’s bed, beaming, “Sorry !”

The dark haired girl couldn’t help it anymore, she burst out laughing:

_It’s not to me you should apologise, cupcake,” She cackled, the honey haired girl pulling her tongue at her before turning around, “What are you even doing ?”

_Repainting my kitchen,”

The small blonde drawled. The other girl would have been annoyed, if not for the tiny smirk curling the younger girl’s lips, despite her best efforts:

_Need any help with that ?”

_I think I’ll manage,” The blonde paused for a second, and pursed her lips ever so slightly, Carmilla could have sworn she almost saw a tinge of pink on her cheeks as she suddenly dug around her drawer. She pulled out some tights, “What colour are these ?”

_Yellow,”

The small girl grunted and dropped the tights back in the drawer. She pulled out another pair, extended her arm toward the brunette, still sprawled on her bed:

_Black,”

She dropped them again, and rummaged through the wardrobe. It went on for a little while, as Laura asked for the colour of each items she pulled. Carmilla sat in her bed, amusement written all over her face as she provided half assed answers, and watched the blonde haphazardly look through her drawers (although opening them slightly more delicately). She chuckled as the other girl pulled out at least the 15th pair of tights:

_Burgundy,” She tilted her head as a victorious hoot escaped the flaxen-haired girl, “Why don’t you just ask Perry to colour code your wardrobe ?”, She frowned after a second, scratching her chin, “I’m actually surprised she hasn’t done it already, actually…”

But Laura stilling for a second cut her musing short:

_What ?”, But the blonde just shrugged, and pulled out a dress, before handing it out to Carmilla, “Royal Blue, with lighter patterns embroiled on the chest,”

The younger girl gave her a curt nod, and disappeared out of the room with the dress and the burgundy tights. Carmilla’s frown deepened.

What on Earth ?

She shook her head after a second though, and made her way downstairs. She was greeted with a grinning William, maple syrup dripping down his face:

_Mr. Hollis made pancakes !”

Was the general message she managed to get from the mouthful of food the young boy had shovelled down his mouth. The brunette made a show of rolling her eyes at her brother, before stabbing a fork in his last cake, effectively stealing a humongous bite:

_HEYYYY !”

She sniggered as she rounded the table, shoving the piece of cake in her mouth, effectively securing her larceny. The young boy heavily pouted at her. His pout held nothing to Laura’s though... She dismissed the thought as a rough hand fell on her head, ruffling her already mussed curls. She barely held back a shriek as she snapped around, fear crackling at the pit of her belly the second her foreign hand made contact. Her onyx orbs scanned the room for any sign of her Maman, but only found Mr. Hollis’s warm golden orbs, gazing at her worriedly. She immediately shrunk down, training her eyes on her trembling hands:

_I’m sorry Mr.Hollis,”

She breathed, desperately hoping it would be enough to quell Mr.Hollis’s anger. The older man gawked at her, astonished. The poor child looked positively chastised, terrified even:

_Cupcake,” The brunette jumped at the pet name, and recoiled even more. She had never been called a pet name when punished. She didn’t what to make of it, the coil of fear in her stomach tightened even more as she ducked her head in her shoulders. The D.A blinked a few time, taken completely aback by the shaking frame before him, the cheeky little girl from a second ago nowhere to be seen, “Carmilla,” He used his softest voice, yet the girl still started. He knelt down before her, trying to find her eyes, she tried her best to avoid his, “Sweetheart you have nothing, _nothing_ to feel sorry about, don’t ever apologise for being happy,”

His hand had gently grasped her shoulder, his palm practically wrapping around her whole arm. At last, she rose her obsidian pools, and was met with two honey coloured ones, shining with almost too much kindness for her to fathom. She wondered if Laura’s eyes would have shun like that too. Probably... She felt a burst of something warm swell from the bottom of her stomach, slowly spreading through her veins, tingling all the way up, right beneath her ribs, and made her look up even deeper in those two gentle chestnut orbs.

The older man gently moved his hand up her arm and went to pinch her cheek. She slightly pouted at that, the usually pale skin flaming red. He grinned as he saw the thin lips purse in the soon to be trademark sulk:

_There you are !”

She blushed even deeper at the beaming smile, but didn’t stir away, the warmth from the giant palm sipping into her. She winced moodily as the older man ruffled her curls and stood up, making his way to the stove:

_what would you like for breakfast, chipmunk ?”

The attorney couldn’t help but burst out laughing when he noticed the positively outraged face of the tiny girl, but with her cheeks puffed and red, her chocolate eyes made even darker with irritation, she genuinely looked like a an annoyed rodent:

_What’s got your panties in a bunch, munchkin ?”

Lafontaine quipped in, grinning widely as sheer and utter offense blossomed on the young girl’s face:

_I’m not a munchkin !”, she stammered, her voice shaking, “Or a chipmunk !!”

She was so red, Mark almost wondered if there was a drop of blood left anywhere else but in her face and chest. The two adults kept on teasing her as Mark deftly prepared a stash of pancakes. The young girl’s vexation though promptly vanished as soon as a full plate appeared before her. She gazed at it, just long enough to swallow greedily before zeroing on it, scarfing the first cake down in one bite. She blushed slightly at Perry when the red head shook her head reprovingly, her lips tightly pursed. One look at Lafontaine though had the small girl grinning giddily, as the scientist stuffed their cake in their mouth, very much mirroring William from a minute ago, though the mischief dancing in their eyes clearly indicated it had not entirely been accidental.

The last draw for Perry though, was when turning around to find some sort of support in the person of Mark, she found him wrist deep in the pancake batter, nearly half of what was left pooling under his chin. He grinned sheepishly, and brought his hand behind his head in embarrassment, effectively smearing some dough in his freshly washed hair. The governess stared at him for a second, petrified. She deflated with a quiet sigh though, and gathered the unused dishes in the sink, shaking her head dejectedly, as the rest of the family merrily laughed, seemingly trying to get as dirty as feasibly possible at 8:30am… It seemed she had moved in with toddlers, again.

A soft laugh escaped her at the thought, as she started washing the pan, Laura’s stash having already been cooked. It suddenly dawned on her that the young blonde had yet to appear. She turned around and looked at the people gathered around the table, the spot reserved for Laura, between Carmilla and Mark, glaringly empty. She frowned, but her eyes caught the brunette’s, as she noticed the girl was looking at her curiously, before shifting her eyes to where Perry had been looking. She groaned, and stood up, leaving her unfinished pancakes in her plate, swimming in butter:

_Where’re you going, kiddo ? You still got a cake left !”

_I know, I’m just gonna go see if Laura needs any help,” She slightly pouted her lips and began walking away, before jerking around, her eyes dangerously narrowed, “It better still be there when we come back,”

She surveyed the room with a deathly glare, before padding away, turning around every few steps to check for her cake. Lafontaine and Mark both raised their hands in surrender, their lips tightly shut as they tried to muster their smile. The brunette glared at them one last time, before dashing up the stairs to her bedroom. She barged in calling for Laura, only to find her at war with her dress, swearing heavily. She arched an eyebrow, and leaned on the door frame, admiring the spectacle before her.

The young blonde, standing in the middle of the room, one arm flailing around, the other awkwardly bent over her head, as she tried to find the opening, all the while grunting and heaving in frustration, bird names flying around the room at an impressive rate. The brunette stared on for a minute longer, before sighing and hopping away from the frame:

_Need any help with that, cupcake ?”

_NO,”

She couldn’t help but snort, as Laura turned around in her general direction, or so Carmilla supposed, as the blonde’s head was somewhere within the dress. Yet the older girl could perfectly picture her snarling, her glassy orb brimming with frustration and rage:

_You sure ?”

_YES,”

_Ok, whatever you say…”

She kept on looking for a second, but eventually took pity on the younger girl, as she started whining and twisting in the fabric, obviously getting nowhere:

_Here,” She grabbed the blonde’s arm, and quickly steadied her. The other girl only struggled for a second, before deflating and letting both her arms fall to her side. Or rather let her only free arm fall to the side, the other resting on her head. Carmilla chuckled, before gently grabbing the material, and pulling it upward, revealing a full on pouting Laura, and a mop of tangled hair. She cooed softly as a tear rolled down the girl’s cheek, awkwardly patting her head. But the younger girl shook her off, meekly shaking her head, her eye closed. Carmilla’s hand hovered in the air, unsure. Another tear pearled down the reddening cheek:

_What’s wrong ?”

Laura looked up at her, the red and milky white of her absent iris gleaming softly. The older girl felt her heart crack in her chest, clenching painfully beneath her ribs. She cocked her head to the side, her whole face screwed in concern. Laura sniffled, and wiped her nose on her forearm, before setting her eyes somewhere near the crook of Carmilla’s neck, looking a hundred years old:

_I can’t even get dressed by myself,”

The brunette sighed, hanging her head, wondering what the appropriated answer to that was. She let a few beats pass, before looking up at the blonde, onyx meeting mother-of-pearls:

_I can’t tie my shoelaces by myself,”

She’d never admitted it out loud, let alone to someone else. But the look of sheer surprise on Laura’s face, and the ghost of a smile somehow made the burning in her cheeks worth it:

_Seriously ?”

The girl shrugged, casting her eyes to the ground:

_I never learned…”

She snapped her head up as a snort escaped the other girl, frowning and blushing:

_How have you never learned to do your laces ?”

_Says the girl who can’t even get dressed !”

_I can’t see the dress !”

_Yeah ? Well, Well-”, The brunette puffed her cheeks, raking her head for a comeback, “You’re mean !”

The small blonde burst out laughing, holding on to Carmilla as the brunette turned around, fuming, both at the girl behind her, and at her comeback. If you could even call it that…

_That was so lame,”

_Shut up,”

Laura snorted again, before grabbing Carmilla’s hand, pulling it and the dress to her. The older girl whirled around, her eyes widening at the gesture. She found Laura smirking begrudgingly, if somewhat pouting:

_Tell you what, you help me get into that ruddy dress, and I’ll teach your how to tie a lace,”

The older girl narrowed her eyes at the mention of the gape in her basic life skills, before heaving a sigh, and shaking the other girl’s hand lazily:

_Deal,”

It took Carmilla about thirty seconds to get the blonde into the dress. And about fifteen minutes for her to understand the complex reasoning behind the art of shoe lacing, in addition to Laura’s pinkie swear promise never to mention those fifteen minutes to anyone ever again, ever (Lest she wished for the older girl to unleash all hell and fury upon her.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here we are, hollstein fluffy angst, there may or may not be a time laps coming soon, not by much but just to move the plot along a bit as I've quite exhausted what we've been exploring so far, anyway see you all next weekish, and thank you so much for sticking up with me, cheers ! :D


	8. chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, I'm sorry, this is a huge fat mess of fluff, I hope you'll enjoy ^^

 

 

Carmilla was standing alone in her shared room, gazing at her reflection in the mirror, her hand clenched in the fabric of her dress, still smelling like the shop it had been purchased in. No. Boutique, it had been far too fancy to be called a shop, with gorgeously dressed mannequins, even more gorgeous clothes spilling from the rakes, bursting with multi-coloured dresses, shirts, pants, skirts, other items the young raven-haired girl hadn’t even had a name for.

But her eyes had caught on one dress in particular.

Sleeveless, knee-length, black as night, save for a stark white peter pan collar.

With her white tights, she looked like an old timey countess-to-be Mr. Hollis had said. But then on the other side of the shop, she had seen those shoes, enormous, leather, burgundy. DC. Martens Lafontaine had told her with a smirk. The young girl hadn’t paid much attention to the rather evil gleam in the scientist’s eyes as they peered at Perry, whom they may or may not be have been hoping would freak out over the blood red shoes.

Alas for the mischievous red head, Perry had beamed at the shoes, loving the way they broke the “good girl” image the rather stern dress gave the young brunette. So Carmilla had had her dress and shoes, and Lafontaine had pouted, but quickly plotted for another way to see their, hum the governess lose her wits…

But now, in front of her mirror, nearly a week later, Carmilla was scared. Terrified even, if the twist in her stomach was anything to by. Because she was going to school today. Actual public school, with actual other children whom she knew nothing about, save for Laura. A fraction of the weight on her shoulders lifted at the thought of the small blonde. Mr. Hollis had arranged for the two of them to be in the same class, as Carmilla had volunteered to be her guide, instead of one of Laura’s teachers, as originally planned when the girl would be ready to join school.

The blonde had huffed and growled, but Carmilla would have sworn she had seen a sliver of a smile on the girl’s face as she had clambered up the stairs, in an attempt to storm out (in her defence though, she had one stumbled twice…)

A small smile escaped the brunette at the thought. Laura was getting better and better at navigating the house, though she was still treated to full on rage every so often, especially when the most menial tasks eluded the girl… She could still remember the deathly silence that had reigned in the house when Laura had almost stabbed her one remaining eye with her fork, the broccoli at the end of it noiselessly falling on her royal blue dress (which she seemed to treasure quite fondly, wearing it as often as she could) But then Carmilla had burst out laughing, unable to restrain herself at the blonde’s face when the offending vegetable had made contact with her misty orb, the look of sheer surprise on the girl’s face, the sauce slightly dripping down her face.

Her laughter had died though when the sauce mixed with more and more tears had slid down her reddening cheeks, as the girl had set her fork on the table, her hand shaking like a leaf with bubbling emotion. It was also the first time Mr. Hollis had reprimanded her. Which she wouldn’t forget anytime soon. She could still feel the burn in her cheeks as shame and guilt rushed to her face. Perry had eventually hand fed Laura, though as soon as the last broccoli had reached her mouth, the flaxen-haired girl had dashed out of the table, as quietly as she could. They’d barely heard the door of her room close.

Carmilla had heard it though. The ragged cry that had escaped through the door right before it had been completely closed.

It had not been addressed again, and Laura had taken to drinking her food, her diet consisting mainly of soup, liquid yoghurt, and applesauce. The only solid food Carmilla had seen take, were the cookie the girl had snatched from the jar, with a rather astonishing dexterity. As she’d witnessed with her own two eyes the girl nimbly climb the counter, stand on the kitchen island, expertly dart her hand in the top shelf on the cupboard, holding onto the handle of the other one, before retrieving the biscuit with a victorious, if albeit quiet huff. Before jumping down the counter and making her way out as if it was the most natural thing on the world. 

Had she not seen it with her own two eyes, Carmilla wouldn’t have believed it… She still hardly did…

But right now she had bigger fish to fry. Like how on earth was she going to survive her first day of school. Ever.

Will seemed delighted. But then again the midget was a bundle of joy and glee…

She sighed for the countless time, pulling endlessly on her dress, arranging it and rearranging it again and again. But there always seemed to be a hitch, something not right. The dress too loose on her still bony frame. She doubted she’d ever manage to fill in those gaps between her bones, like the doctors, and Perry, and Mr. Hollis, and everyone seemed to want her to.

But she remained irrevocably thin, lanky, the shape of her skeleton still perfectly decipherable under the pale alabaster skin, where small scars shone, beneath her ribs, along her spine, some haphazardly dotting her flesh. Small mounts of ragged flesh, never wider than a millimetre or two, never longer than an inch at most, yet, embedded in her skin as deeply as the fear rooted in her stomach. Another one, barely visible, pursed her skin in three gaps, two barely visible, and a deep one, diamond shaped, still angry red. A small shiver ran up her spine as she closed her eyes, her hands clenching in her dress almost painfully, till she released a breath, sagging on her hips, her eyes closed, avoiding her reflection. She turned away without a glimpse, grabbing her bag on her way out. Whereas most of her things were brand new, this bag she had found when playing hide and seek with Will, as she was combing the attic. She’d found a mountain of treasures, amongst them an old, rugged leather messenger bag, with small stripes of leather and a feather attached into the loop holding the satchel together with the shoulder strap. It fell mid-thigh, nearly kept her from walking, but despite Mr. Hollis offering a new, properly sized bag, she had refused. She’d just fallen in love with it. With the weight it held on her shoulder, the warm light brown colour, the lining practically falling off, the supple, slightly darker strap holding it, the leather that had been mollified and softened by decades of hands and fingers holding it. Filled and animated with so much history, it almost felt like an actual person, or at the very least a presence, a reassuring hand on her shoulder whilst she faced her first day of school.

She hugged the strap tightly as she hopped down the stairs, a small jiggle accompanying her every steps.

 _That_ was Laura’s fault.

As the honey-haired girl had ran her hand in a rake holding jewels, she’d heard a small tinkle. Her head had snapped in an almost comical way as she turned toward the sound, her every sense alert. Her stillness had caught Carmilla’s attention, she had come over to look at the tiny bell, and in turn it had attracted the attention of Perry, who’d laughed, telling the raven-haired girl that it would suit her perfectly, making her look even more like a tiny cat, at which point the girl’s temper had risen, and she’d stalked to the other side of the shop, pouting.

She didn’t think of the offending noise till the evening, when the sound resounded in the room. She’d snapped her head around, much like Laura had in the shop, and gazed at said girl, whom she found leaning on the doorframe, smirking, and holding the silver bell on a delicate chain:

_I can’t really say whether you look like a cat or not, but you feel like one, so here…”

That was the older girl’s downfall. She’d quietly taken the chain and clasped it around her neck, the bell falling on her sternum, barely darker than her skin. The honey haired girl had smiled, a soft, full smile, that had warmed the brunette’s insides and cheeks. She’d disappeared in the bathroom before giving the blonde time to comment.

She had not.

But Carmilla didn’t miss either the way her lips would infinitesimally curl up whenever she heard the gentle tinkle.

She reached the bottom, and peaked into the kitchen, only to find William nose deep in a bowl of cereal, Perry nose deep in the newspaper, and Lafontaine about shoulder deep in their notes, their laptop open on the kitchen table, its gentle rustle the only sound reigning in the kitchen. Even William, usually scarfing down his food, was uncharacteristically quiet.

The brunette frowned, as she made her way deeper into the kitchen, her head cocked to the side:

_There’s some coffee in the pot if you want some…”

Perry’s voice broke the heavy silence, though distraction was evident in her tone. Carmilla arched an eyebrow as she stared at the redhead:

_Coffee ?”She drawled as she helped herself to a bowl and some cereals, “For an eleven year old ?”

_Huh ? Oh yeah, no, milk, fridge,”

The raven haired girl chuckled as she grabbed the bottle of milk (on the table), the governess hadn’t even looked up from her page. Lafontaine seemed so lost in their notes, a bomb could have probably dropped on the house without disrupting them:

_Where’s Mr.Hollis ?”

_In half an hour sweetheart,”

The brunette grinned, before taking a sip of her milk:

_What are we eating for breakfast ?”

_She’s in the bathroom,”

Her grin widened even more, biting her tongue to keep from laughing too loudly:

_And do you mind if I drop school and become a professional juggler ?”

_That sounds terrific darling… Wait what ?”

Perry’s head eventually snapped up as Carmilla guffawed on her chair, holding her aching belly as she doubled over. The red head stared at her for a moment, confused, before looking to her counterpart, who was simply smirking to her computer, discreetly giving the small girl a low five under the table:

_What ?” Silence answered her query, “Well never mind, Carmilla dear we’re leaving in half an hour so be ready, yeah ?”

The girl nodded with a smirk, and finished the last of her breakfast. She dropped her bowl onto the sink and dashed upstairs, tripping on the last step. She reached the door to her room, barely standing, but straightened up as if nothing had happened as she crossed Laura’s curious gaze:

_We’re leaving in twenty,”

_K’, help me find something,”

The brunette smiled in spite of the demanding tone. Laura had a tendency to demand rather than ask for help, but at least she tried. Though the counter incident had yet to be addressed. The image of Laura deftly jumping down the kitchen island, a task she herself would have some trouble managing, flashed back into the dark haired girl’s mind. No time now though, she pondered. She’d ask the next time she caught her. If she did. Her musing were interrupted by the blonde’s commanding voice. They opted for some light brown shorts, dark grey tights and a maroon owl sweater.

But right before walking out the door, Laura caught the small bell around her neck. Carmilla froze, not daring to do so much as take a breath. The honey haired girl ran it in her fingers, ringing it lightly, before letting it go and looping her arm around Carmilla’s, a soft smile playing on her lips. The brunette’s breath ran out of her lungs.

 

***

 

_ Hello students, my name is Elisabeth Spieldorf, I am your English teacher as well as your class principal,”

Carmilla peered at the impossibly tall, blond woman standing before them, her soft blue eyes and gentle smile tempering stern accent adorning her every words. She gazed at the class with a tranquil eye, shining with confidence and authority. The brunette there and then decided this was not a teacher to be crossed…

She blushed and averted her eyes when the piercing gaze fell on she and Laura, currently looking down, her head tilted toward the voice, her face half hidden behind a pair of glasses far too large for her small face, the small cord of a medical eyepatch stark against her honey coloured hair.

There were whispers in the class, glances and gasps when the young girl had walked into the room, her hand tightly grasping Carmilla’s arm, as people took the two of them in, more or less discreetly. Which had annoyed the brunette to no ends. She’s taken it upon herself to glare daggers at whomever would dare to stare for too long. And thus created around she and the other girl a wide, empty circle, as none of the other children had wished to impose on the tacit barrier installed by the dark broody girl’s ominous stare, promising a painful death to any and every being she believed to have ill intention toward the honey haired girl.

The first half of the day passed much like this. Carmilla guiding the younger girl to all their classes, quickly stifling any reaction to the blonde. It worked swimmingly, till lunch time…

They reached the cafeteria, albeit a bit late, as Laura had insisted she knew the cafeteria to be the other way, that is till Carmilla had her feel for the map translated in braille.

The brunette gazed at the room, searching for an easy access table, amidst the throng of students having their lunch. The room quieted a bit as the two girls made their way to the counter, Carmilla grabbing both trays, and showing the blonde where was everything all the while with Laura begrudgingly listening, cracking a joke every once in a while. She seemed to be utterly unaware of the small commotion she was causing, her rough laugh resounding in the quiet cafeteria. The brunette was slowly relaxing when she heard some rustle behind her, she turned around, and found a group of boy, one of them sneering menacingly at them. She nearly snarled at him, her grip on Laura tightening:

_What’s wrong ?”

But the boy’s drawled voice cut her before Carmilla had had a chance to respond:

_Halloween’s next month you freak, why’re you wearing a mask ? Ya know we can see how ugly you are anyway right ?”

The other boys sniggered. The only thing that kept the brunette from pouncing on the boy was Laura’s shaky hold on her arm:

_Well maybe _you_ should invest in one, cuz right know just looking at you my eyes are bleeding !”

She was fuming, positively fuming, as she growled her retort, earning a few whoops and snickers amongst the group. The boy’s eyes narrowed to slits as he glared at the small brunette, before a cruel sneer curled his lips:

_Whatever, you should put a leash on your watchdog Hollis, to go with the collar and bell, at least like that next time you get in a car accident you’ll have it under hand when you bite it”

There was a moment of silence, just enough time for Carmilla to confirm that yes, he had indeed actually said that. But Laura beat her to it. She turned around, her eyes planted on his feet:

_Honestly Carter I’m glad to be blind, cuz I most definitely don’t want to see what you’ll look like when my dad, the DA, hears about it,” She took a step toward him, stopping only inches form him, her nose barely reaching the crook of his neck, yet the fury emanating from her girl made her stand seven feet tall, “And by it of course I meant the state you’ll be in after I’m done with you if I ever ear your voice again,”

There was not an ounce of doubt in her voice, nor in her demeanour. It was clear to everyone around that she’d be true to her word. Everyone knew she’d been taking krav maga since she was five. The girl could be lethal. Blind or not. Carter took a small step back, fear flashing in her eyes for a split second, before he backed off, sneering again:

_Yeah right, you’re lucky I wouldn’t hit a girl, otherwise you’d be dead,”

The blonde didn’t even bother answering, simply turned around as an eerie silence reigned in the cafeteria, all eyes on them. No one daring to make a sound. But the honey-haired girl quite simply went back to feeling for everything, and cracking a few jokes with the lunch ladies as she chose what to eat. 

Carmilla though, was frozen in place, stunned. She slowly shook her head as she came out of her shock. Damn. So angry hamsters could be scary. Interesting. She chuckled at the thought, not bothering to hide the admiration on her face. She stepped toward the blond again, who easily slipped her arm through hers. But despite Laura’s easy jokes and the cafeteria gradually filling with white noise again, she couldn’t for the life of her ignore the myriad of eyes staring at them both, hushed conversation and remarks shared more or less discreetly. She turned every few seconds, a cold shiver climbing its way up her spine as the eerie quiet of the room slowly smothered her. She was on the verge of exploding, when Laura’s hand squeezed her forearm. She jerked her head around, and found the blonde gazing at her shoulder, a soft, sad smile playing on her lips:

_I can practically feel you freaking out, Carm,”

The nickname glided on the brunette like a gentle caress, she exhaled slowly and turned around fully toward the blonde:

_I just don’t like them staring at you, like you’re an animal at the zoo…”

She blurted softly, her features twisted in pain and sorrow. She’s only known the girl a week, but the idea of anyone antagonising or hurting her in any way filled her with rage:

_They’re just scared cuz I threatened to kick the ass of the biggest bully in the school.” The blonde snorted, aiming a mocking smirk at Carmilla. But she couldn’t get over it. The blonde sighed eventually, before gently squeezing the brunette’s arm again, “Let them stare, it’ll settle eventually,”, her smile turned wry, “It’s not like I can see it anyway, I don’t mind,”

It had taken a while for Carmilla to grasp that joking about her disability was the younger girl’s way of coping with it, well that and flipping tables. But she couldn’t muster a smile, not when she felt like every person in the room had their eyes glued to their back. But then Laura’s knuckle gently touched her eye. It fluttered shut, her eyelashes brushing against the skin of her hand. The blond immediately lowered it, grinning:

_Sorry, I was aiming at your cheek,”

A small smirked stretched the brunette’s lips as she ever so slightly shook her hand, not wanting to dislodge the other girl’s hand for the world. Laura’s smile grew tenfold, and turned impossibly happy:

_There you are,”

The brunette’s eyes widened in shock. This was what Mr. Hollis had told her a week ago.

She couldn’t feel Laura’s voice rumble through her the way the older man’s did. But the warmth in the blonde’s smile that travelled to her very core and through her every cell easily rivalled it, if not more.

Looking at that glossy, misty white orb staring at her neck, she felt something akin terribly to home…           

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok maybe not all fluff... But hey, sometimes a girl ought to manufacture her own amusement ;)
> 
> Also I don't really know how the next updates are going to play out, cuz I preparing a week long trip to Miami, and one unfortunately cannot exactly improvise crossing an entire bloody ocean. So I'll do my best to keep up my once a week, but tardiness I'm afraid will be unavoidable... Anyway I hope you enjoyed that chapter, tell me what you thought good, bad, ugly I take it all ^^ cheers ! :D


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry, this is unbetaed, short, probably bad written and I'll most likely update a proper version with the next chapter, but it's nearly midnight and I was to wake up in an ungodly short amount of hours, to take an ungodly long flight, but I didn't want to leave you hanging for two weeks or so, so here goes...

__

_What do you mean it’s not enough ?

The withered attorney snapped at the wall, staring at nothing in particular as his whole focus shifted to the voice on the other side of the line. His fist slowly tightened on his desk as the voice confirmed his worst nightmare:

_We sent photos ! There were traces all over the place and written statements of all the staff !”

He snarled his lips as the voice on the other end went on, his knuckles turning white:

_No ! I will not stand for that do you hear me ?” He jerked up and started pacing in his office, “I can provide you with all the warrants you want but they WILL NOT come within a hundred feet of than woman, let alone testify !”

A deep sigh resounded on the other line, a muffled, obviously strained voice answered him after a second:

_Look Mark, I know you don’t like it, but it’s the only way,” Another sigh, from the D.A this time, as he sunk down his chair, pinching the bridge of his nose, “Without a strong testimony, and especially with her connections, she could easily shake down the charges to the minimum…”

The older man slumped back in his chair. No matter how many scenarios he spun in his head, he knew. He was going to have to put the siblings on the stand… There was a blank at the other end of the line, but the person didn’t hang up:

_What is it…”

The old DA asked, defeated. There was a small pause:

_She’s managed to push the trial, it’s in a week…”

A dull snapped crackled in the quiet office. Only sound that betrayed the D.A’s fury. The two halves of a pen fell on the heavy wooden table as his hands gentle pried open.

The attorney barely payed attention to the other person’s goodbye as his hazel eyes remained trained on the broken pen.

He would have her head. If it’s the last thing he does, she’ll rot in hell, even if she drags him down with her…

***

A heavy grunt resounded in the empty kitchen as Laura kissed her pinkie toe goodbye. She didn’t know who had decided to move the table, but she would fry their kidneys if she ever found them… She carefully traded around the room, gently feeling for any stray furniture, but found none. She quickly found herself in the middle of the empty kitchen, with nine toes out of ten intact. Smooth, sundance, smooth. She groaned as the brunette’s drawl popped in her head, and quickly shook it off. She didn’t have time, counters had to be climbed, and jars had to be relieved of their burden. A wicked grin curled her lips at the thought of the sugary deliciousness calling her name, insistently.

She felt for the edge of the kitchen island, and stealthily hoisted herself up, carefully hugging the cupboard, and snaked her hand at the bottom of the last shelf.

_Ahem,”

A small shriek escaped her throat as she blenched, nearly tripping and falling to the harsh ground. She grippe the handle and side of the shelf, and didn’t let go till she was absolutely certain her balance was secure :

_ So how long h               ave you been playing monkey when you though no one was looking ?”

The brunette quirked an eyebrow as she leaned against the large arc opening from the kitchen to the dining room :

_What are you doing up ?”

The younger girl growled toward Carmilla. The other girl snorted and hopped away from the threshold and walked toward the blonde :

_I couldn’t sleep,” She drawled again, stopping a few feet shy of the counter, “Can you grab me one while you’re at it ?”

Had she not been used to it, the blonde wouldn’t have deciphered the deep sarcasm that laced the brunette’s words. What most definitely went amiss though, was the anger she felt boiling beneath the ten layers of snark :

_Sure, chocolate chips or get the fuck out ?”

She smiled sweetly down at the girl, who she had heard closing in on her:

_I think I’ll go with what the fuck kind of games are you playing at ?”

Laura had heard the snark from Carmilla, the biting remarks, the feral voice, but never directed at her.

It cut all her retorts short, sent a complete blank to her mind:

_What do you mean ?”

She lowered her eye to where she supposed the brunette was, frowning, any remnants of irritation vanished at the ice cold tone the older girl had employed:

_Are you kidding ?”,

The raven haired girl stared back at her, flummoxed. How did she not grasp what was so wrong in this whole predicament ? How did she not understand ? But the younger girl only stared back at her shoulders, her misty orb still wide with incomprehension, her mouth slightly ajar:

_How do you not see what’s wrong with the way you’re acting ?”

_Well I can’t exactly see can I ?

_Oh don’t you dare pull the poor innocent blind girl card on me, you’re STANDING on the KITCHEN ISLAND AND I MOST CERTAINLY DID NOT PUT YOU THERE !”

She hadn’t meant to yell, but the outraged look the girl had sported for a second had been the last straw. She immediately quieted, and listen the heavy silence for any signs of rising life, but nothing moved. The younger girl flinched, and remained immobile, still frozen three feet up in the air. The brunette clenched and unclenched her fists several times before taking in a deep breath, trying to exhale some of her mounting frustration, before gazing back up at the blonde, who’d stayed quiet, contrite:

_ You’ve been worrying you dad sick for so long, he actually investing in fucking siblings for you ! To try and help you get over yourself and your disability, when all along you could walk and climb around as if nothing ?”

She finished her tirade in a hiss, lest she stared screaming again, her obsidian orbs burning like ambers as she watched, at last, the younger girl deflate like a balloon, before deftly jumping down to the kitchen floor, empty handed, head hung low, her lower lip slightly protruding.

Carmilla narrowed her eyes, her fists closing on the fabric of her pyjamas. She would not be mollified. She wouldn’t. Nope. But then Laura’s lip started to tremble, as her chin twisted, and her long, golden locked fell into her face, hiding the still angry red scar:

_I’m sorry…”

_Please don’t cry…”

The brunette pleaded with a broken voice as she saw moisture turn the white orb red :

_I’m not…”, But the younger girl’s shoulder started to shake, as her milky pool glisten with tears, “It was easier to pretend I couldn’t do anything…” She sniffled as she smeared her tears, only to have fresh ones pearl down her cheeks again, “If I needed help then daddy would have to be here, but then he adopted you,” A pang of rage flashed in her eye, but it disappeared as quickly as it had come, “I didn’t want daddy to stop taking care of me…”

The older girl heaved a sigh, her eyes falling close in defeat. Oh how she knew what the other girl meant… But it still angered her though, because she’d never in her life witnessed someone love the way Mr. Hollis loved his daughter. And she intended to remind the girl of exactly that. She landed a sharp fillip on the girl’s forehead, but started talking with a low voice before the blonde could retaliate:

_How can you possibly thing that your dad would ever stop taking care of you ? It’s literally the ONLY thing he’s been doing ! Why do you think we’re here ? You said it yourself ! To help you get better !”

She tried to keep her voice calm, but the sheer power of her desire for this girl to understand just how deeply she was love nearly engulfed her all.

Laura’s mouth slowly fell open as she listened to the other girl, her single eye widening in shock. She could not see it, but the passion and energy that emanated from the girl were almost overwhelming. Something gapingly obvious suddenly occurred to her:

_Let me see you,”

_And you- what ?”

_Let me see you,”

She blurted again, cutting the older girl’s soliloquy short. Carmilla stared at her, utterly lost, her mouth opening and closing a few time as she heavily blinked:

_I hum…”

Her answer fell short, she’d no idea what’s she’d been saying before the younger girl had interrupted her. Laura quickly rolled her eye, before averting her gaze again, shrugging off the light blush blossoming on her cheeks:

_It’s one of the first things I was taught,” She shrugged again, wringing her small hands, “How to map a face with your fingers, so you can picture people, or at least get an idea of what they look like…”

The brunette blinked again, unsure of what was asked of her:

_You want to map out my face…?”

_Well when you put it like that…”

She chuckled lightly, but the air of earnestness on her still puffy face tugged at the brunette’s chest:

_Ok…”

She blonde’s head snapped back up in surprise:

_Ok ?”

It was Carmilla’s turn to roll her eyes as she tried to restrain her smile, the little minx had learnt to hear them, and never missed an opportunity to tease her about it:

_Yes,” She snarled, hiding her embarrassment in her snark, “and do it quick before I change my mind,”

The blonde beamed from ear to ear for a second, before taking a step closer to the brunette, effectively stepping right into her personal space. Carmilla instinctively took a step back:

_Don’t step away, dummy, I need to touch your face,”

A deep, crimson, blush all mighty crept on the face of the brunette as the other girl took another step forward, and slowly rose her hands to her face. She tried, as hard as she could, to stand still, but then Laura’s cool fingers grazed her throat, and all she could see was her maman’s iron fist closing around it.

She jerked away instantly, ducking her head in front of her throat, fumbling away from the blonde:

_I’m sorry,” She breathed, her heart beating furiously beneath her ribs, threatening to break out, “I can’t”

She coiled her hands around the back of one of the kitchen chairs, supporting herself on it as she tried to regulate her breathing. Laura stared at her, baffled, her hands still hovering in mid-air :

_Why not ?”

It was murmured, barely above a breath. It probably wouldn’t have reached the other girl’s ears if it wasn’t for the complete silence reigning in the house. But right now it rung in her ear like a deafening sibilance. She blenched at the noise, her ink black eyes trained on the ground, stubbornly avoiding any confrontation:

_Carm…”, She snapped her head at the tone, seemingly drowning in tears, and crossed the misty orb of the younger girl, “ Are you shaking ?”

The brunette’s eyes widened in pure shock. Was she ? She was, she realised, as she pried her shaking hands away from the chair:

_ How do you know ?”

She snarled, it was useless denying it, if she’d guess this much she must have had a tell. The blonde took a tentative step forward, one hand still reaching out:

_I heard the chair…” She rasped, her throat clogged. She took another step, her hand still searching forward. Carmilla remained still. She would not budge. She couldn’t… She stared at the approaching hand, all her senses in alert. But this was just Laura. Blind, not so helpless Laura. Why was she so scared. Why was she so terrified. Why was she so _weak_ !

A small pair of arms engulfed her, just had her own hands had flown to her hair. She bucked away on instinct:

_NO !”

She jerked away even more, tears freely spilling from her eyes, her broken wail ripping its way through her painfully aching throat:

_Carm !”

A small tinkle, the arms coiled around her thorax, Laura’s muffled, broken voice from the crook of her neck. The embrace, threatening to break her in half, yet seemingly being the only thing that held her together. She exhaled, brutally, a few times, taking in ragged breaths after ragged breaths, before squeezing her eyes shut, snarling one last time as she tried to push back on the wave of images and memories crushing her. Before letting her arms fall to her side, limply.

Laura held her there. God only knew how long, her small fingers tightly wound around the soft fabric of the brunette shirt, her face buried in the crook of her pale, frail neck. She was petrified, at just how thin the other girl was. How terribly bony, almost skeletal she was. She could fit her in one arm, in one tiny arm, and feel her every ribs shift beneath her skin, her elbows dig into her side, her hips jab at her belly.

At last, she understood, exactly just what the other girl had been through. Exactly _what_ kind of life she’d lived. She tightened her embrace even more:

_I’m sorry,” she whispered, her single eye flooding her cheek,” I’m so, so, sorry,”

She kept on repeating it, endlessly, choking on her own throat again and again, until she felt the long, slender fingers run through her locks, and a weight drop on her shoulders, the other hand gripping at her shoulder blade, still shaking:

_I’m sorry I was so selfish…”

_You weren’t, you were scared…”

The blonde gently shook her head:

_I was though,” She slowly pried herself away from the embrace, but kept her hands securely on the other girl’s elbow, “I was being a spoilt brat…”

There was a small pause, and a small snort:

_You were…”

Laura snorted in turn, her hand gently squeezing the other girl’s elbow, before letting go:

_So how about those cookies ?”

The brunette couldn’t help but chuckle, as she other girl whirled around and zoomed in on the cupboard. She turned around right before reaching it, nearly bumping into the brunette who had followed her:

_By the way, I still want to see you,” The brunette immediately tensed, “But,” The blonde gently smile, her fingers reaching out to toy with the bell, “Not until you’re ready, so you know, take your time,”

A warmth settled in the bottom of the brunette’s chest, like someone had turned on the light, or opened a window into a clear, bright day. She paused on it for a second, her stomach filling with light. She stared at her honey-haired sister.

How was this unseeing girl so full of sun…  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well I hope you enjoyed, again I apologise for any and every mistake, and the general lack of care, I'll see yall next time, hopefully with a decent version,  
> btw I don't know if the concept of "seeing" someone as described is actually a thing, I got the idea from a Dasey (Derek/Casey in Life With Derek) on FF, where Casey is blind and Derek is, well... Derek... Anyway I couldn't find it again, so if you know it please tell me so that I can put a proper shout out to the author   
> thanks you dearies :)   
> cheers !


	10. NOT A CHAPTER

Hi guys, I know it's been a while since I last published, and I'm truly sorry about that, but my life's been kind of hectic, and right now as you may know Paris was just victim of unamable violence. It hit really, really close to home, as I am Parisian, and a bit shaken up about every thing that is still happening right now. I'll try to finish the 10th chapter as quickly as possible as half of it is already on the page, but after that I don't really know, my head isn't really on writing right now... If you yourself are in Paris or near, or have family that is at risk at the moment (whether in Paris or elsewhere, let's not kid ourselves by thinking Paris is the only place where this is happening right now) know that my heart is with you. I may not believe in God, but I do believe in Karma, and karma's a bitch, so be brave, be safe, and thank you for the continued support, cheers :)

**Author's Note:**

> Okaaay so that was lovely, also shortest chapter so far, I'm so sorry about that btw :-/... So thoughts ? Comments ?... Death threats...?
> 
> Also I will try to upload once to twice a week, according to how much chapters I have left in store... Probably Wednesdays and Fridays, so we can all get over the episodes together. Or sink even lower...
> 
> Also if you're a Clexa fan, you'll definitly want to check out my friend's work, she's amazing, mimillekoishi !


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